A Saturday, July 14 post from CAL FIRE confirmed the death of a firefighter that occurred on Saturday morning while battling the Ferguson Fire in the Sierra National Forest.

CAL FIRE Heavy Fire Equipment Operator Braden Varney from the CAL FIRE Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit was tragically killed during the firefighting operation. He leaves behind a wife and two small children.

The Ferguson Fire started just after 10:30 p.m. Friday, July 13 near El Portal in Mariposa County. The fire was initially under Unified Command with CAL FIRE Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit and the US Forest Service - Sierra National Forest. As of 8 a.m. Saturday morning the fire was turned over to CAL FIRE’S partners at the US Forest Service.

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District also issued an air quality alert for a multi-county region due to the fire, in effect until the fire is extinguished.