PORTERVILLE, Calif. — The Porterville Fire Department marked the fifth anniversary of the line-of-duty deaths of Porterville Captain Ray Figueroa and Firefighter Patrick Jones, who lost their lives while searching for a person with a walker inside a burning library.
Firefighters, family members and others came to Station 71 to remember the fallen on the fifth anniversary of the fire, KFSN reported.
“Honoring his life has felt like a privilege because he is the purest love I have ever known,” Jone’s sister Katie said. “These last five years have honestly felt so surreal.”
On Feb. 18, 2020, Figueroa and Patrick entered the library without a hoseline after a bystander reported that a woman with a walker was on the second floor. As fire conditions worsened, the incident commander ordered a defensive attack and attempted to contact the crew, but received no response, according to the NIOSH report.
A rapid intervention team (RIT) was deployed to locate the missing firefighters. A minute later, Figueroa called a mayday, reporting low air and difficulty finding the stairs. The RIT found him in a bathroom and removed him from the building, but he later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. Multiple attempts to rescue Patrick were unsuccessful due to deteriorating conditions and structural collapse. His body was recovered by an urban search and rescue team the following day.
“Today is definitely important and meaningful, not only for the citizens of Porterville but for the department as well,” Captain Rudy Aguilar said.
“Make sure we continue to honor Ray and Patrick’s sacrifice. It hits really hard for the department but also personally.”
The city also intends to honor Raymond and Patrick with a new library, which is currently in the design phase. Mayor Greg Meister envisions commemorating them with two bronze statues.
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