The Canyon Fire, ravaging the El Paso Mountains south of Ridgecrest, has taken a tragic twist as a family mourns the loss of a California pilot, believed to be a casualty of a plane crash that may have sparked the inferno on Thursday.
In light of this sudden tragedy, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support his wife, Nadeem, and their three children, following the unexpected passing of her husband, Ramzi Al-Shurman. Authorities believe his aircraft crashed Thursday morning, coinciding with the initial reports of the fire in the same isolated region.
The blaze has rapidly consumed over 2,000 acres and is suspected to be connected to a 2006 Cessna 182T, which disappeared from radar shortly after departing from Inyokern Airport in Kern County.
Although the Kern County Fire Department has yet to officially verify the crash, data from FlightAware presents a concerning narrative.
The aircraft, identified by its tail number N227TF, took off at 10:47 a.m. on Thursday, but lost contact with radar just seven minutes later at 10:54 a.m.
The last recorded GPS coordinates closely match the fire’s origin point, which was reported later that afternoon. The plane is registered to Top Flight Aviation, based in 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.
