Volunteer Firefighter Identified In Fatal Napa Co. Water Tender Crash

NAPA COUNTY, CA — A volunteer firefighter from Missouri has been identified as the driver of a water tender truck who died Monday morning in a collision on Oakville Grade Road near state Highway 29. The Napa County Sheriff-Coroner's Office identified the firefighter as Garrett Paiz, 38 years old.

Paiz was driving the privately owned water tanker and was assigned to the Nuns Fire, one of several wildfires burning for more than a week in Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties. A Facebook page identifies Paiz as a firefighter with the Noel Fire Department in southwest Missouri.

"The body of firefighter Paiz was escorted from the scene by Napa sheriff’s deputies, Cal Fire,various law enforcement and National Guard units in the area," according to a statement Tuesday from the Napa County-Sheriff-Coroner's Office.

The death is the lone firefighter fatality reported in the North Bay wildfires that broke out Oct. 8.

California Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. The preliminary investigation indicated Paiz was driving downhill to refill the empty water tender when he lost control and it rolled down an embankment west of state Highway 29 northwest of Yountville sometime between 6:30 and 6:51 a.m. Monday, CHP Officer Marc Renspurger said.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

Image via Cal Fire PIO Twitter page