Several thousand people gathered on Sunday to honor the 3 courageous U.S Forest Service firefighters who were killed battling with wildfires in Washington State.
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Firefighters from Richard Wheeler’s company tearfully recounted a long list of nicknames earned through the intense camaraderie of the fire line.
“They devoted their lives to defending our nationwide forests and the individuals within the communities surrounding them”, Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell stated in a eulogy.
Hundreds of firefighters traveled from all over the region to attend the memorial. The crew crashed their vehicle trying to escape, and were consumed in the flames. “My path I’m afraid will always be a little bit darker because I miss him so much”. 2015 was the second year of Wheeler and his wife Celeste’s living together in Wenatchee after he graduated from Grand Valley State University in Michigan, back in 2013.
U.S. Forest Service officials say once family members and agency personnel have been seated, the public will be seated as space allows.
Andrew Zajac was from a small city in Illinois and moved to Winthrop with his wife after getting married previous year.
“I take comfort in knowing that our son was involved in such noble work because you are miracle workers in this world”, Andrew Zajac’s mother Mary Zajac said. Slightly below a yr in the past we made a promise till dying do us half.
“Before now I’ve never looked closely at the effects of wildfires”. When an individual turns into a wildland firefighter, they’re stated to “decide up the Pulaski”.
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Daniel Lyon, who sustained burns on more than 60 percent of his body in the fire that killed the three firefighters, on Sunday remained in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he’s had two successful burn surgeries. A spokeswoman stated the 25-year-old is scheduled to bear one other operation this week.
