TRI-CITIES, Wash. - A fire chief from Basin City was killed Wednesday at a wildfire.
Pasco Fire Chief Bob Gear told the Tri-City Herald that North Franklin Fire District 4 Chief Chet Bauermeister was fatally injured when an ATV flipped backward on a steep slope.
The Franklin County sheriff's office says another firefighters riding with Bauermeister was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
The wildfire in the Wahluke Slope area near the Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge was controlled Wednesday night.
Bauermeister had taken over the fire chief's job from his father in 2003. He owned Chet Bauermeister Trucking in Mesa and also drove the ambulance in Basin City.
Prayers to everyone in his circle!!!! I used to live in the Tri-Cities. Worked the Waste Treatment Plant for the recycling and storage of Nuclear waste. Knew a lot of people including the Fire Department. This one hit very close to home.