Wenatchee Lake Fire Hit by Tree Fatality 1914

Wilfred A. Bell, a resident of Leavenworth, Washington, was killed by a falling tree while assisting the U. S. Forest Service in suppressing a forest fire in the vicinity of Lake Wenatchee on August 12. 1914. Bell and his 14-year-old son, Bernard, were working in an area with many hazard trees falling. Bernard Bell and another firefighter, A. A. Bryant, attempted to warn Wilfred Bell of the risk posed by the trees. Bell may not have heard these warnings, and was struck by a tree which then pinned his body to the ground. the younger Bell and Bryant ran to the accident site and struggled to free Wilfred Bell's body, as the tree was burning and difficult to work near. A doctor was called to treat Bell once he was freed, but when the doctor arrived at the scene he pronounced the man deceased. The falling tree had broken Wilfred Bell's neck, causing a likely instantaneous death. The Forest Supervisor of the Wenatchee NF, Albert Sylvester, informed the media that the family of Mr. Bell would receive a year's worth of wages at the rate he was earning at the time of his death, abiding by a law passed by U. S. Congress in 1908.