By Associated Press - Sunday, July 23, 2017

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) - Hundreds of fire fighters, friends and family members gathered to honor a 19-year-old man killed by a falling tree while fighting a Montana wildfire.

Trenton Johnson of Missoula was a member of a private firefighting crew that was trying to stop a half-acre, lightning-caused fire northeast of Seeley Lake. He was killed when the top of a tree split off and fell and struck him on Wednesday in Lolo National Forest.

At Saturday’s event in Missoula Johnson’s father, Marty, (https://bit.ly/2vyrHEY) recalled his son’s upbeat personality and infectious smile, the Missoulian reported.



Johnson had been attending Montana State University and was new to firefighting.

___

Information from: Missoulian, https://www.missoulian.com

Copyright © 2026 The Washington Times, LLC.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.