Sunday, July 5, 2009
Wildfire Boss Gets 90 Days and Ban from Fire Service
Elreese Daniels, who served as a Forest Service fire boss during a deadly 2001 fire, was sentenced to 90 days work release, $50 fine, three years probation with no alcohol and is prohibited from ever serving in the paid or volunteer fire service.
ABC News affiliate KXLY reports that four firefighters died when they and 10 others took cover while battling the Thirtymile Fire, 30 miles north of Chewuch River Valley, Wash. It was the state's second deadliest fire.
Prosecutors originally charged Daniels with 11 felony counts; four were for involuntary manslaughter. In April, he pled guilty to two misdemeanor charges of making false statements in official writing.
The station says that Daniels originally told investigators that the four who died ignored his order to move their fire shelters off of some rocks. The record now shows that the four died while following orders.
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