Incident: Saturday, August 29, 2026, in Comanche County, Oklahoma. Announced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of the Interior on Saturday, August 30, 2026.
Federal Wildlife Officer David Taylor, 38, was killed while helping residents evacuate ahead of the Railroad South Fire in Comanche County, Oklahoma. The fire was first reported on August 29.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is mourning federal wildlife officer David Taylor, 38 of Scio, Oregon, who is believed to have died while helping evacuate residents threatened by the Railroad South Fire.
Officer Taylor was going door to door alongside local emergency crews… pic.twitter.com/M0QAS8iqH3Free — the opening chapterUnits Are SurroundedFive shootings in five months between members of the Soboba Indian Reservation and law enforcement in the Hemet area of Riverside County. My story about being in the middle of it. The full book is coming.Read how it starts— U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (@USFWS) August 30, 2026
Officer Taylor was working door to door alongside local emergency crews, notifying residents to leave the area as the fire moved. His last contact with dispatch came while he was assisting a family leaving their home.
Evidence recovered from a structure where he had been working indicated he died during the evacuation effort. He was formally identified on Sunday, August 30.
Officer Taylor was assigned to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. He had previously served at the Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge and the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge, both in New Mexico. He was from Scio, Oregon.
He served 20 years in the United States Navy, on active duty and in the Navy Reserve, and held the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer in the Reserve. He deployed five times, once to Iraq and four times to Djibouti.
Survivors include his wife, his son and his parents.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik said of Officer Taylor, “When people were in danger, David was there helping them get to safety.”
The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge said everything known about his actions “reflects extraordinary courage, selflessness and devotion to duty.”
A second person died in the Railroad South Fire. Officials identified him as Vandell Nauni, a Comanche Nation tribal member and a Navy veteran.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Evacuation orders have since been lifted. His number of years of service with the Fish and Wildlife Service has not been released.
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