A US Fish and Wildlife Service officer, David Taylor, is believed to have died on Saturday while helping evacuate residents from a fast-moving wildfire south of Oklahoma City. Taylor, 38, was going door-to-door with emergency crews to assist people fleeing the blaze when he lost contact with dispatch while helping a family leave their home; officials later concluded he had died during the effort based on evidence recovered from a structure. His death has been marked by tributes from federal officials and the Oklahoma governor, underlining the risks faced by emergency personnel during the fire.

Taylor, from Scio, Oregon, was also a senior chief petty officer in the Navy Reserve with 20 years of service, including deployments to Iraq and Djibouti. He had previously worked at wildlife refuges in New Mexico before joining the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt ordered flags flown at half-staff from 1 to 4 September in his honour, while the Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of the Interior are supporting his family and colleagues. The fire, named the Railroad South Fire, broke out in Comanche County on Saturday; all evacuation orders have since been lifted, though the cause remains under investigation.