Wildland firefighter from Minnesota dies while working in Idaho
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Funeral services will be held on Saturday in the Twin Cities for a wildland firefighter from Minnesota who died while working on a fire in Idaho last week.
Isabella Oscarson — known as “Bella” — was struck by a falling tree while working on a prescribed burn in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests in northern Idaho on Sept. 26.
Oscarson, 26, was airlifted for medical treatment, but died from her injuries.
Gov. Tim Walz has ordered flags to fly at half-staff on Saturday in Oscarson’s honor and memory. Flags are also at half-staff in Idaho. The Minnesota Fire Service Foundation said her death is considered a line-of-duty death.
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Walz’s proclamation said Oscarson “was a courageous and compassionate public servant who devoted her life to protecting communities and the natural world in both Minnesota and Idaho.”
Oscarson was a 2017 graduate of Watertown High School and later lived in Floodwood. She worked for the Minnesota Conservation Corps and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and also served on a local volunteer ambulance service. She helped fight wildfires in multiple states.
According to her obituary, Oscarson and her partner, Matt Becker, had moved to Idaho earlier this year, where she began working as a wildland firefighter for the state. She was close to earning a degree in emergency management and homeland security.
At the time of her death, Oscarson was working on the prescribed burn with her team, as a crew module leader.
Walz’s proclamation said Oscarson’s “love for protecting people and nature shone through her work and leadership.”
“Bella was cherished by colleagues, family, and friends for her joy, quiet faith, playful sense of humor, and unforgettable dance moves, qualities that lifted the lives of all who knew her,” the proclamation reads.
Visitation is from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, followed by a Mass of Christian burial at 1:30 p.m. Saturday — both at St. Charles Borromeo Church in St. Anthony Village.
