Utah firefighter’s death caused by retardant drop from 747

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The casket with fallen Utah firefighter Matthew Burchett is loaded into a fire engine after the funeral at the Maverick Center, Monday, Aug. 20, 2018.Sacramento, Calif. • A Utah firefighter battling the largest wildfire in California history was killed last month when thousands of gallons of flame-suppressing liquid were dropped from a Boeing 747 mistakenly flying only 100 feet (30 meters) above the treetops, according to an official report Friday.

The pilot and a supervisor flying ahead in a small guide plane led the giant modified jetliner nearly into the trees on Aug. 13 because the pilots failed to recognize that there was a hill in the flight path,…