By Scott Gutierrez
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

SEATTLE — Seattle firefighters are mourning a longtime colleague who died last weekend in a traffic collision in Snohomish County.

Firefighter Joe Bly, 51, died early Saturday after his Audi struck a guardrail on state Route 530, near his home east of Arlington on the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River.

Bly worked for the Seattle Fire Department for 17 years, the last decade on a ladder truck at Station 8 on Queen Anne hill. He was an avid fly fisherman and outdoorsman and a devoted fan of ice hockey and Husky football, according to the Seattle Fire Fighters Union, Local 27.

The crash happened about 2 a.m. as Bly returned from an Everett Silvertips hockey game, union President Ryan Ellis said.

"Joe was an exemplary firefighter. He was a great, solid truckman.

"All we can offer is our deepest condolences to his family and to his crew and to the Queen Anne community as a whole," Ellis said.

Bly was known for refusing to cut his long hair, which violated the department's grooming standards.

"Because of Joe's work ethic and his quality as a firefighter, people looked the other direction. Joe was a great guy, and we'll miss him a lot," Ellis said.

Bly wasn't married and had no children. He is survived by his parents, Dale Bly of Arlington and Ramona Bly of Everett; and his two sisters, Mary and Jennifer.

A memorial service is planned for 2 p.m. Friday at the Immaculate Conception Church in Everett, 2501 Hoyt Ave.

Copyright 2007 Seattle Post-Intelligencer