Trinity National Forest Hit by Tree Fatality 1931

On August 22, 1931, firefighters led by District Ranger Wesley Hotaling initial attacked an eight-acre fire on the Trinity National Forest, high on a ridge between Soldier Creek and Dutch Creek. After working several hours, at 10:30 p.m., this group of six were relieved by 14 firefighters and sat down to rest and eat dinner. As they sat, a large tree that had been weakened by fire fell into the group. The tree struck three of the resting firefighters, causing minor injuries to two and major injuries to one of their members, 34-year-old Jess Paige. Paige's leg/hip was severely injured and his skull may have been fractured. He was carried two miles by stretcher to a road, then conveyed to a waiting ambulance in Weaverville, and on to the hospital in Redding. Two days later, this World War I veteran passed away at the hospital. 

Hit by Tree, Fatality, Initial Attack, Hand Crews