Two BLM firefighters killed, one injured in Northern Nevada crash

Two Bureau of Land Management firefighters died and one was injured in a single-vehicle rollover crash Sunday in Northern Nevada.

The on-duty firefighters, 27-year-old Jacob M. O’Malley and 22-year-old Will P. Hawkins, were returning from Denio, near the Nevada-Oregon state line, after a cold front moved into the area. The bureau often sends firefighters to areas with a high risk of lightning strikes to prevent wildfires, bureau spokesman Steve Clutter said.

At 5 p.m., the firefighters, who were in a smaller fire truck operated by the bureau, were on their way back to Winnemucca on state Route 140 about 6 miles from the U.S. Highway 95 junction when the crash occurred, Clutter said. Nevada Highway Patrol’s preliminary investigation revealed that a tire on the truck burst, causing the truck to tip over and roll several times, trooper Jim Stewart said.

O’Malley was driving and Hawkins was sitting in the front right passenger seat. Zachary McElroy was sitting between them during the crash.

McElroy was flown to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno but is in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries, Stewart said.

A hospital official declined to comment on McElroy’s condition but said he is declining to speak to the media.

“We will provide more information at the appropriate time,” Clutter said. “Our hearts are heavy, but our focus, our thoughts, our prayers are with the families of these extraordinary, brave people who served to protect the people of Nevada and the public lands that belong to all of us.”

Stewart said NHP’s preliminary investigation ruled out the possibility of alcohol, driver error or foul play as factors in the crash.

The BLM has been at odds with anti-government groups over the bureau’s ownership of public lands, leading up to a 2014 armed standoff with the Bundy family at their Bunkerville ranch and the takeover of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon earlier this year.

Nevada Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. The bureau will send an accident investigation team to the crash site Tuesday morning as part of a separate investigation, which is standard procedure in fatal accidents involving bureau employees, Clutter said.

Contact Lawren Linehan at llinehan@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0381. Find @lawrenlinehan on Twitter.