A 47-year-old bulldozer operator from Klamath Falls has died while cutting firebreaks ahead of the Wrights Spring Fire, after fast-moving flames cut off his escape route to a designated safety zone. Jason Ensign was reported missing Thursday afternoon and was found dead inside his extensively damaged Caterpillar bulldozer the next day near Yahweh Plateau in central Klamath County.
According to a Klamath County Sheriff's Office statement reported by OPB, Ensign was operating the Caterpillar D-6 bulldozer to construct firebreaks when an unexpected weather event triggered rapid fire growth that severed his path out. As reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive, fast-moving flames overtook the bulldozer as extreme fire behavior overtook fire personnel working the line that day. Klamath County Sheriff's Office personnel launched a search for Ensign near Yahweh Plateau, using cellphone data and witness statements to narrow the search area before he was located.
Ensign worked as a private contractor for Green Diamond Resource Company, a privately owned timber company based in Seattle. Per corporate records, Green Diamond manages 633,856 acres of timberland in south-central Oregon out of a local operations hub in Klamath Falls. Shane Mitchell described the bulldozer Ensign had been operating as extensively damaged and said Ensign was doing dangerous work to help protect others and support the firefighting effort.
Fire Exploded From 100 Acres to Nearly 9,000 in Two Days
The Wrights Spring Fire was first reported Wednesday afternoon, roughly six miles east of Modoc Point, according to Watch Duty. It started as a 100-acre timber fire before swelling to 1,200 acres that same night, then to 3,100 acres by Thursday morning and nearly 9,000 acres by Friday morning. By Friday night the fire had grown to 19,200 acres, and as of Saturday it remained at zero percent containment. High temperatures and strong winds have complicated suppression efforts throughout the week.
Watch Duty's tracking shows the initial response deployed a large air fleet, including eight Single Engine Air Tankers, three Large Air Tankers and four Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems, alongside 11 ground engines. KGW reported that a lack of established access roads along the fire's southern and eastern flanks made it difficult for heavy equipment to build containment lines as flames pushed toward Saddle Mountain, terrain marked by dense underbrush and thick timber.
Hundreds Under Evacuation Notices as Reinforcements Arrive
Klamath County emergency officials placed approximately 475 residents under Level 1 “Be Ready” and Level 2 “Get Set” evacuation notices between U.S. Highway 97 and the Sprague River as the fire advanced toward private land, per OPB's reporting. An evacuation center opened at Chiloquin Elementary School, and a large-animal shelter opened at the Klamath County Fairgrounds in Klamath Falls.
Governor Tina Kotek signed an Emergency Conflagration Act order for the Wrights Spring Fire, allowing agencies from across Oregon to join the firefighting effort. Portland Fire & Rescue, Forest Grove Fire Department and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue have all joined crews already on scene. Oregon Revised Statutes 476.510 through 476.610 give the state that authority, letting officials mobilize structural firefighting task forces across county lines whenever a wildland fire exceeds local resources and threatens lives or structures, with the act administered through the Oregon State Fire Marshal.
Kotek has now invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act 12 times this year, according to reporting tied to FOX 12 Oregon, underscoring how intense the state's 2026 summer fire season has become amid hot temperatures and lightning storms that have pushed the Pacific Northwest to peak national preparedness levels.
Oregon's First Wildfire Death Since 2022
Ensign's death marks Oregon's first wildfire-related fatality since 2022, when 25-year-old contractor Logan Taylor was killed in the Rum Creek Fire in Josephine County. Taylor, who worked as an Oregon Department of Forestry contractor, was fatally struck by a falling tree while battling that blaze, according to Wildfire Today.
Oregon's U.S. senators offered condolences following news of Ensign's death. Ron Wyden said Ensign's death was a tragic loss for Oregon's firefighting effort, while Jeff Merkley also offered condolences for Ensign's family and colleagues.
Heavy equipment operations like dozer fireline construction remain among the highest-risk assignments in wildland firefighting, according to occupational safety research published by the CDC, which points to roll-over hazards and rapid burnovers during erratic weather shifts as key dangers for operators working in steep terrain ahead of active fire fronts. The Wrights Spring Fire continues to burn with no containment as crews work to protect nearby communities and stop its advance toward Saddle Mountain.
