A firefighter was killed Monday while battling the historic and catastrophic blazes that have ravaged Northern California, marking the first member of a fire crew to die in the disaster. The as-yet-unidentified contract firefighter reportedly died just before sunrise northwest of Yountville, at the northern edge of the blaze. He was driving a water tanker downhill when it rolled over, bringing the death toll to 41, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Some 11,000 firefighters are battling the fires and made significant progress Monday containing the giant infernos that have destroyed at least 5,700 buildings.
