State regulators have opened an investigation into Industrial Defense Development Inc., a private contractor that employs a worker who was seriously injured when his water tender flipped over while battling a massive wildfire burning in Monterey County.
It's the second time this summer a private contractor has come under scrutiny after a worker was hurt while battling the Soberanes Fire, which has burned more than 117,000 acres since it ignited two months ago.
The first incident killed a bulldozer operator in late July. A preliminary report by Cal Fire found that Robert Reagan, the operator, was ejected from his machine as it tipped over on a steep embankment. Czirban Concrete, the construction company that employed Reagan, had its license suspended eight times by state regulators in the last four years.
The most recent water tender incident took place on the west side of the Soberanes Fire on Sept. 11.
The large vehicle rolled over multiple times down an embankment, according to the U.S. Forest Service.