By Danielle Samaniego and Tom Lochner
Contra Costa Times
Copyright 2007 Contra Costa Newspapers
All Rights Reserved
 PHOTO CONTRA COSTA FIRE DEPARTMENT Fire Captain Matt C. Burton |
 PHOTO CONTRA COSTA FIRE DEPARTMENT Fire Engineer Scott P. Desmond |
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, Calif. — Colleagues of two firefighters who died battling a house fire Saturday described the men as jovial go-getters who loved their jobs.
Captain Matt Burton, 34, of Concord and Fire Engineer Scott Desmond, 37, of Brentwood, died working on a fire in the Montalvin Manor neighborhood outside of San Pablo Saturday that also claimed the lives of residents Delbert Moore, 67, and his wife, Gayle, 62.
The firefighters’ deaths are the first in the line of duty for the Contra Costa County Fire District.
“They were both guys that when they worked the station for their shifts, you were excited that they were there,” said Battalion Chief Dave George, who knew both men. “They were upbeat and full of laughter, but they were all business when the bell went off. These guys would go all out every time when it called for it ... They were young and excited about their job and really couldn’t wait to go to their next call.”
Investigations are under way into the cause of the fire and the incident that claimed the four lives, George said. He had no further details Sunday. Cal Fire, the state fire marshal’s office, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with the county district’s arson investigation team, are all involved in the investigations.
Both men were working out of the San Pablo station when the call came in at 1:43 a.m. Saturday about a house fire at 149 Michele Drive in unincorporated San Pablo, county fire officials reported. The men were trapped inside the burning home as they tried to rescue the Moores.
Desmond was exactly the kind of person colleagues wanted around during any crisis, friends said Sunday.
“If you worked with Scott on an emergency, you didn’t have to keep an eye on him or anything like that; he would cover you in a hectic situation,” said fire Capt. Bill Giles, who worked with Desmond at Antioch Fire Station 88 and was at Desmond’s home Sunday.
Desmond was filling in at the San Pablo station for another firefighter who was on vacation.
“He was very competent and intelligent, but he was a good friend more than anything ... not just to me, but to everybody he cared for,” Giles said.
Desmond is survived by his wife, Carolyn, and a 17-month old son, Tyler. Burton is survived by his wife and two children.
A woman contacted at Burton’s home Sunday declined to comment.
Station 70 is among the busiest in the district, George said, which is what he believed drew Burton to the post there.
“He loved working here at 70. As a paramedic he saw lots of trauma calls,” said George, who watched Burton work his way up from a student worker in the district’s training division to captain. “He was the kind of guy who was very excited about his job as a paramedic ... He had just called me a while ago and told me about a particular incident where he saved a person’s life recently.”
George also described Burton as a “big-time family guy” who would jump at the opportunity to get home to play with his children.
Plans for memorial services are in the works, said fire district spokeswoman Emily Hopkins.
“Today all of our firefighters are mourning and trying to pull themselves together over this sad incident,” Hopkins said Sunday. “And besides our firefighters, we do have sympathy for the civilians that lost their lives in that fire.”
Delbert Moore, a retired mechanic and avid gunsmith, and Gayle Moore, who worked at Manson Construction Co. of Richmond, had lived in the home for years, according to neighbors.
Gayle Moore knitted lap robes for patients in convalescent hospitals and comfort caps for cancer patients in her spare time, was active in a local CB radio club and was about to receive her 40-year pin for being a member of the Eagles Auxiliary in San Pablo. She had also served as a past president for both the Eagles Aerie 3028 Auxiliary and state chapters, according to Eagles Auxiliary member Shirley Barnes.
The Moores are survived by a daughter and two sons, family friends said.
On Sunday, solemn-faced firefighters from several agencies were at the site, where all that was left was the charred frame of the house. There was debris on the front lawn, as well as a growing memorial with flowers, red heart-shaped balloons, a large American flag and a small stuffed Dalmatian.
Donations to the families of Burton and Desmond can be made to Local 1230 Widows and Orphans Fund, 112 Blue Ridge Drive, Martinez, CA, 94553.