A federal wildlife officer is believed to have died while going door to door to help Oklahoma residents escape the Railroad South Fire, officials said.
David Taylor, 38, of Scio, Ore., was part of the emergency response in Comanche County when officials lost contact with him. KIVI reported that his last communication with dispatch came while he was assisting a family with an evacuation.
The U.S. Department of the Interior said Taylor had been working alongside local responders to get residents out as the wildfire threatened the area. Officials later recovered evidence from a structure where he had been helping a resident, leading them to believe he died during that evacuation effort. The medical examiner has yet to make a formal identification.
Before joining the Wichita Mountains refuge in Oklahoma, Taylor had served as a federal wildlife officer at New Mexico's Rio Mora and Las Vegas national wildlife refuges.
His military career lasted about 20 years and included active duty service in the U.S. Navy as well as continued duty in the Navy Reserve, KIVI reported. At the time of his reported death, he was serving as a senior chief petty officer in the Reserve.
Emergency management officials in Comanche County and Lawton have since ended all evacuation orders connected to the Railroad South Fire.
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"Everything we know about David's actions demonstrates extraordinary courage and selflessness," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik said, per KIVI. "When people were in danger, David was there helping them get to safety. He remained committed to protecting others under the most dangerous circumstances."
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