Fire Captain Mark Loutzenshiser, 44, of Idyllwild
Jess McLean, 27, of Beaumont
Jason McKay, 27, of Phelan
Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20, a San Jacinto
Pablo Cerda, 23, of Fountain Valley
Posted on 10/28/2006 2:08:46 PM PDT by La Enchiladita
The wind-whipped Esperanza Fire disgorged hundreds of residents from their Riverside County homes and inched toward vulnerable mountain towns Friday, a day after the inferno trapped five firefighters in its path, killing four and leaving one on life support.
The 40,000-acre fire doesn't rank among the region's largest ever. But Inland residents learned Friday the price paid in the effort to contain the blaze: the names of all five firefighters.
Riverside County homicide investigators searched for the arsonist blamed for the devastating fire, while federal and state investigators began a probe into the firefighters' deaths.
A fifth firefighter clung to life Friday, the sole survivor of a crew whose engine was overrun by flames.
Surgeons at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton removed dead skin from firefighter Pablo Cerda, who was burned over 90 percent of his body. His survival is uncertain, doctors said.
The dead were identified as Capt. Mark Loutzenhiser, 44, of Idyllwild; Jess McLean, 27, of Beaumont; Jason McKay, 27, of Phelan; and Daniel Najera, 20, of San Jacinto.
Their deaths triggered widespread grief and support, stretching from neighbors to the White House, where President Bush telephoned Deputy Regional Forester Tom Tidwell to express his sorrow.
Gov. Schwarzenegger met privately Friday afternoon with Cerda's relatives at Arrowhead and added $100,000 to the reward offered for information leading to the arsonist's arrest. By nightfall the reward had reached $500,000.
(Excerpt) Read more at pe.com ...
Jess McLean, 27, of Beaumont
Jason McKay, 27, of Phelan
Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20, a San Jacinto
Pablo Cerda, 23, of Fountain Valley
Prayers for the families and for all in CA.....I hope they catch the scum that started this fire..
Would it be possible to add a "fire-proof" compartment to fire engines that will be used to fight forest fires? How difficult would that be? Something like a large fire-proof safe with an air supply? Could it be hauled behaing the engine as a trailer? This is not the first article I've read with firemen IN THEIR TRUCK being overrun by fire.
Prayers and support ($$$) sent for these brave Firefighters who lost their lives doing their duty and because of a criminal act.
My advice to the perp or perps is "Turn yourself in."
I echo and uplift your sentiments.
Good point and best answered by a professional.
From what I know, the firefighters were on the ground outside of the engine. If they have enough time, they can deploy and use a fire-proof tent.
They were overtaken by a firestorm, with no warning.
Thank you.
Although I am 100 miles WNW of the fire, we feel the loss sharply.
Yes, but I have seen stories where firefighters under these died.
I'm sure they're not foolproof.
Thank you for the ping.
The arsonist(s) should get the death penalty.
You bet you do. These men were your heroes and rescuers. My prayers are up for all and each of you out there.
BTW, Pablo Cerda is the surviving fireman.
Incredible, considering the extent of damage he suffered.
Prayers for Pablo and his family . . .
Your tag is very appropriate.
~ thank you ~
Last night my daughter drove into the neighborhood where the firefighters were stationed,(San Jacinto) got out and talked to one of the firemen. She said he was very comforting. He said the fire looked close, but it would probably take a day to walk to it. He said they were there just in case. I think he thought she was a resident of that neighborhood. She was very emotional when telling me about it. She's normally a hard ass about everything.
I have a tremendous love and respect for all Public Safety Officers.
Also thanks to the Morongo Indians and the citizen from Rancho Mirage for each putting up $100,000 each to the reward and Pechanga Indian for the $50,000 to the family fund. It all warms my heart and reminds me of the good out there.
I've been reading these stories closely, wondering what kind of leads they have on the arsonist or arsonists (the plural is used in the story).
So far I haven't seen any details at all. I presume that means they hope to track them down themselves, and don't want to give anything away, or else I should think they would ask the public for information about the vehicle they were driving, or whatever they have.
~ bump ~
It really hurts to lose these guys. They are heroes all.
I live in the Palm Springs area, so needless to say our local media coverage has been intense. I read in the paper this morning that arson investigators are keeping a tight lid on details for a couple of reasons - fear of copycat actions and the potential wave of whackjob attention seekers, a la John Mark "I killed JonBenet" Karr.
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