TWISP, WA (WHTC) – One of the three U.S. Forest Service firefighters killed in Washington state was a West Michigan native.
Rick Wheeler, 31, was from South Haven and moved to Wenatchee, Washington with his wife Celeste about a year ago to work for the U.S. Forest Service as a firefighter.
Wheeler was on board a vehicle that was forced off the road by a forest fire that suddenly shifted directions. Four others were injured in the crash. He was part of a special team that went in early and assessed the threat of fires and tried to put them out before they grew out of hand.
Firefighters are battling the worst outbreak of western fires in U.S. history.
Pastor Joanne Coleman Campbell of the First United Methodist Church in Wenatchee, remembers Wheeler as a “gentle man who loved his wife,” and added he always wanted to be on the front lines of a fire.
His cousin Kristy Beauchamp speaking on behalf of his mother Karen Morey, says Wheeler is a hero and he died doing what he loved doing.
A memorial is being planned by family in South Haven.
– Mary Ellen Murphy
