On July 18, 2025, while working on the Butler Fire as part of the Orleans Complex, a Region 5 Interagency Hotshot Crew was conducting direct attack uphill adjacent to the black when a fire‑weakened madrone tree fell into the crew. The crew boss spotted the falling tree and yelled a warning, allowing several firefighters to evade the tree, but one crew member sustained a direct strike and two others were hit by branches. One firefighter suffered significant injuries after being pinned beneath the tree; two others sustained minor injuries.

The learning review for this accident, which captures the perspectives and experiences of persons who responded to or witnessed the event, has now been published on the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center website.  

The Forest Service will use the information gathered to learn how the agency can reduce the possibility of similar events in the future.