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BAKER CITY, Ore. (AP) — In a story Sept. 22 about an injured firefighter, The Associated Press reported erroneously, based on information provided by the U.S. Forest Service, that the firefighter was injured while fighting a fire in Idaho. He was fighting a wildfire that was just west of the Snake River in Oregon, not Idaho.
A corrected version of the story is below:
Oregon-based firefighter injured at wildfire
Oregon-based firefighter injured at wildfire; suffers fractured skull, broken bones
BAKER CITY, Ore. (AP) — A U.S. Forest Service spokesman says a firefighter has been seriously injured while fighting a wildfire in Oregon near the Idaho border.
Spokesman Tom Montoya says 51-year-old Richard "Wally" Ochoa Jr. was hit by a wood snag Sunday evening while clearing fire line on the Freezeout Ridge Fire in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.
He suffered a fractured skull, two broken arms and a broken jaw. The spokesman says other fire crew members began immediate first aid and cleared an area for a helicopter to land. Ochoa was flown to a Boise hospital, where he was reported in stable condition Monday in intensive care.
Ochoa is a member of the Winema Interagency Hotshot Crew. The Winema Hotshots are based at the Fremont-Winema National Forest in Oregon.
The Freezeout Ridge fire started in early September. It has burned across nearly 5 ½ square miles, or 3,500 acres.
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