Officials identify firefighter who died while working Dragon Bravo Fire

PHOENIX – Officials have identified a firefighter assigned to the Dragon Bravo Fire in northern Arizona who died in the line of duty on Monday.

J. Hank Hester, 70, from Priest River, Idaho, suffered a cardiac emergency while actively involved in suppression repair efforts, the Southwest Area Incident Management Team 3 (SWAIMT) announced Tuesday.

“Our deepest condolences go out to the Hester family and friends during this very tragic time,” SWAIMT Incident Commander Matt Rau said in a media release. “Hank is a member of our wildfire family and will be deeply missed.”

The National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner are working together to investigate what happened.

Firefighter assigned to Dragon Bravo Fire dies in line of duty

SWAIMT said Hester was working near the North Rim Entrance station at Grand Canyon National Park on hazard tree removal operations when the cardiac emergency occurred.

Paramedics attempted to revive Hester, but they were not successful.

SWAIMET added that support is being provided to the first responder’s fellow wildland firefighters assigned to the Dragon Bravo Fire.

This is an updated version of a story originally published Sept. 8, 2025. 

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