The firefighter from Hilo who was killed Sunday morning battling a massive wildfire near Yosemite National Park was remembered as a motivated leader who loved his job.

Brian Hughes’ death marked the second firefighting death in Mariposa County and the eighth fire-related death as more than a dozen wildfires rage across the state.

“He was motivated, he was enthusiastic, he loved what he was doing,” Joe Suarez, superintendent of the Arrowhead Hotshots, based at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, told USA Today. “He woke up every morning with a smile.”

Hughes, 33, captain of the Arrowhead Interagency Hotshots, was killed when he was struck by a tree while working with his crew to set a backfire — a tactic designed to limit a fire’s spread — on the east side of the fire, according to the National Park Service. He was treated at the scene but died before he could be taken to the hospital.

“The team at Sequoia and Kings National Park is devastated by this terrible news,” Parks Superintendent Woody Smeck said in a statement. “Our deepest condolences go out to the firefighter’s family and loved ones. We grieve this loss with you.”

Hughes leaves behind a fiancee who is 13 weeks pregnant with their child, according to USA Today.

Hughes had worked with the Arrowhead hotshots, an elite crew of firefighters, for four years.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.