Nuns Fire Water Tender Driver Dies In Napa Valley Crash: Cal Fire

NAPA COUNTY, CA — Cal Fire has confirmed that a water tender driver who died in a rollover crash Monday morning on Oakville Grade Road near state Highway 29 in Napa County was employed by a private contractor and was assigned to the Nuns Fire burning in Sonoma and Napa counties.

Significant traffic delays were being reported following the tragic crash just west of state Highway 29 in the Oakville area involving a big rig water tanker that went off the roadway, according to California Highway Patrol and media reports. Traffic was at a standstill from Yountville, CHP reported.

An ambulance crew was immediately dispatched to the scene of the crash, which was reported at 6:50 a.m., according to the CHP.

Watch: California Firefighting Truck Driver Dies In Crash

A reporter on scene tweeted that the driver of a big-rig water tender — likely in the area to help fight the wildfires — died in the crash.

Cal Fire confirmed that in a later tweet.

The water tank truck was empty and the driver was heading downhill to refill it when it rolled over and went down an embankment sometime between 6:30 a.m. and 6:51 a.m., CHP Officer Marc Renspurger said.

The Napa County coroner's office was at the scene waiting for the CHP to map the crash site as part of the CHP's investigation, and the driver was still in the vehicle as of 10:30 a.m., Renspurger said.

The water tanker did not catch fire and there were no flames in the immediate area, Renspurger said. No one else was believed to be in the vehicle.

Patch will update this post as more information is gathered.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

Image via Cal Fire PIO/Twitter page