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Memorial held in Medford for fallen firefighter, Logan Taylor

Hundreds of people from regional forest agencies gathered at Harry and David Field to honor Logan Taylor.
Noah Camuso
/
JPR
A small statue of Logan Taylor that was awarded to his parents.

A public memorial was held Monday for Logan Taylor, a 25-year-old firefighter from Talent, Oregon who died earlier this month.

Spectators from nearly every forestry agency in Jackson and Josephine Counties gathered at Harry and David Field in Medford to honor him.

Taylor was battling the Rum Creek Fire when he was critically injured by a falling tree. Despite life saving efforts, he died at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center on August 18th.

He is the second firefighter to die in the line-of-duty in Oregon this season. 27-year-old Collin Hagan was also killed by a falling tree while he was fighting the Big Swamp Fire near Oakridge, Oregon, early this month. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, there have been 70 firefighter fatalities nationally this year.

During the service, Chaplain Fred Saada read a statement from Taylor's family, which described him as having an infectious smile that would light up the room.

"Logan, we will forever cherish your kindness, humbleness and empathy for all. Our lives have been truly blessed for knowing you," the statement says.

Taylor's grandfather and father both worked in forestry before him. His father worked for Taylor when he started his own contract firefighting company, Sasquatch Reforestation, two years ago.

Noah is a broadcast journalist and podcast producer who was born and raised in Salem, Oregon. He came to Jefferson Public Radio through the Charles Snowden Program of Excellence after graduating with a BS in journalism from the University of Oregon. In his spare time, Noah enjoys backpacking, scuba diving and writing music.