Second Individual Dies Battling Ferguson Fire Near Yosemite

For the second time in two weeks, the town of Mariposa lined the streets to honor a man who died trying to protect their community.

Another person has died fighting the Ferguson Fire in Mariposa County.

The sheriff’s department released a statement saying that Brian Hughes was killed Sunday morning. A Sequoia and a Kings Canyon National Park’s Facebook post says Hughes, of the Arrowhead Interagency Hot Shots, was preparing to burn an area to increase containment when he was struck and killed by a tree.

Firefighters had noted the significant number of trees and snags caused by the bark beetle infestation in the early days of the fire.

The town of Mariposa turned out as it did when Braden Varney was killed during the early hours of the firefight that began July 13. People lined Highway 49 to Highway 140 as Hughes’ body was taken in a procession from the county airport to the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office.

Hughes was with the Arrowhead hot shots for four years.

The Ferguson Fire shut down Yosemite valley this past week, and it will remain close until at least next Friday, August 3.

The fire has burned more than 53,000 acres and containment is at 30 percent.