According to a Saturday, August 5th press release, an out of state Forest Service firefighter employed by the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and a member on the Gold Beach Ranger District, was killed in an on-duty vehicle accident on Friday, August 4th near Powers, Oregon.
21 year old Benjamin Charles Sapper, originally from Boulder, Colorado, was working as a first-year hand crew member on the Gold Beach Ranger District when a pickup with a crew of U.S. Forest Service firefighters left the roadway above Powers.
Benjamin graduated from Boulder High School and the University of Colorado with a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Mathematics. He joined the Forest Service out of a desire to serve the community and be part of a great team.
An avid baseball player, chess player, and skier, and he loved engaging others in a wide array of topics including philosophy and mathematics and was looking forward to starting graduate school this fall at the University of British Columbia in Earth Sciences.
“This is a devastating loss of one of our own Gold Beach firefighters. We have a tight knit community on the Gold Beach and Powers Ranger Districts, and we stand together in grief and support for his family, friends, and fellow firefighters during this heartbreaking time,” said Gold Beach District Ranger Kailey Guerrant.
Additional information on how to honor Benjamin will be shared as it becomes available.
