Pilot of air tanker that went missing fighting Oregon wildfire found dead

A pilot has been found dead after the air tanker he was flying was reported missing near the scene of a wildfire in Oregon, authorities said Friday.

The Bureau of Land Management had contracted with the pilot flying the single-engine air tanker that was assisting with the Falls Fire, officials posted Friday on Facebook page dedicated to providing updates on several wildfires.

Later on Friday, a spokesperson for the BLM said the plane, which had been reported missing on Thursday, had been found with the assistance of a rescue team. The pilot was dead.

The pilot’s identity will be released at a later time by the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, the spokesperson said.

The Falls Fire has burned more than 140,000 acres and was 55 percent contained Friday afternoon.

The fire where the plane crashed was close to Seneca, Oregon, in the Malheur National Forest, authorities said.

NBC affiliate KTVB of Boise, Idaho, reported the plane went missing shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday night. The Oregon National Guard was deployed to assist in the search, the news outlet reported.