Canyon Fire linked to a fatal plane crash

The massive Canyon Fire tearing through the El Paso Mountains south of Ridgecrest has taken a heartbreaking turn, as the family of a California pilot identified their loved one as a victim of the suspected plane crash that ignited the blaze Thursday.

A GoFundMe has been established for his wife Nadeem and her three children following the sudden death of her husband, Ramzi Al-Shurman, whose aircraft is believed to have gone down Thursday morning before the fire was reported in the exact remote area.

The fast-moving fire has scorched over 2,000 acres, and is reportedly being linked to a 2006 Cessna 182T that vanished from radars shortly after takeoff from Inyokern Airport in Kern County.

While the Kern County Fire Department has not officially confirmed the crash, flight logs from FlightAware paint a grim picture.

The aircraft, with tail number N227TF, took off at 10:47 a.m. on Thursday. Its signal cut out just seven minutes later at 10:54 a.m.

The final GPS coordinates on the flight map align almost perfectly with the ignition point of the fire, which was first reported later in the afternoon. The plane is registered to Top Flight Aviation out of Corona, California.

For Nadeen and her children, the disaster is deeply personal.

“Nadeen’s world was turned upside down yesterday when her husband, Ramzi (28 years old), a newly graduated flight instructor, tragically lost his life in a plane crash,” reads the GoFundMe.

“He had spent the past few years dedicating his time and resources to building a brighter future for his family.” Ramzi was just 10 days away from “starting his dream job as a private pilot.”

Al-Shurman shared a post on Instagram just last week writing, “hearing my mom cry on the phone when I told her the news was worth every bit of struggle it took to get here. If you told me I would be interviewing for a position as an airline pilot 2 years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you. The journey, the grind to get to this point was beyond worth it.”

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“This was a dream of mine since I was a kid and this is only the beginning,” the post continued. “Shoutout to my beautiful amazing wife and mother of my children … for being my rock and backbone throughout this entire process. None of this would have been possible without your support.”

The GoFundMe has a goal of $100,000 and has already raised nearly $47,000. The money is said to go towards “essential living expenses,” such as shelter, food, and basic items like school supplies.

Fire officials have still listed the cause of the fire as “under investigation.”

Firefighters are battling more than just flames, given the rugged terrain of the El Paso Mountains making certain areas difficult to access. Efforts to contain the fire reportedly came from air support.

As of Friday afternoon, the fire is 50% contained, according to CAL FIRE.