A contract firefighter died after being injured Wednesday, Sept. 9, while fighting the Austin fire in Mount Hood National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service confirmed.

The firefighter was hurt while engaged in suppression efforts on the blaze, which has burned 12,872 acres about 25 miles southeast of Estacada in Clackamas County.

Crews provided immediate first aid and rushed the firefighter to a nearby hospital, where the firefighter died from their injuries, The Oregonian reported.

The fire is roughly 30 miles from Lake Oswego, and its closures have shut down recreation areas along the Clackamas River corridor that draw residents from across the region.

The Forest Service has not released the firefighter's name.

The agency said it is working with the firefighter's family and the private contractor that employed the firefighter at the time of the incident. An official investigation into the death is underway, though no timeline for results has been announced.

The cause of the injury has not been disclosed.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon responded in a statement posted to Facebook on Friday, Sept. 11: "This tragic news sadly spotlights yet again the life-and-death dangers that firefighters take every day on their job running toward risk, never away from it."

The Austin fire ignited Aug. 9 on the Clackamas River Ranger District and has been determined to be human-caused, though investigators have not identified the specific ignition source.

Approximately 655 firefighters and support personnel are assigned to the blaze, according to the Grants Pass Daily Courier. The fire was 36% contained as of Sept. 11.

Level 3 "Go Now" evacuation orders remain in effect for portions of the upper Clackamas River corridor. Affected areas include Bagby Hot Springs, Lake Harriet, Timothy Lake and campgrounds along the Clackamas River east of Carter Bridge, KATU reported. The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office first issued Level 3 evacuations for the area on Aug. 10.

The fire spans portions of Clackamas, Marion and Wasco counties. Oregon Highway 224 east of Fish Creek and several forest roads remain closed.

Residents can check current evacuation levels at the Clackamas County alerts page.