Weitchpec Dump Fire Engine Accident Fatalities 1978

A Forest Service fire engine from the Six Rivers National Forest crashed while en route to multiple fires in the area of the Weitchpec Dump. The engine responded from Orleans to a call for assistance from CDF (now CAL FIRE) and was driving towards the fire location when it crossed the center line on a corner and clipped the rear of an unloaded log trailer in the opposing lane. The engine then left the roadway and rolled 250 feet down a slope to the Klamath River where it stopped before entering the river. Three engine crewmembers were killed in the accident:  Richard Montano, David Perrine, and Gayle Tsutsumi. The other two engine crewmembers were seriously injured but survived.