Service Held for Porterville Firefighters Killed in Library Fire

 

TULARE, CA (KMJ) – A memorial service for two Porterville firefighters took place Friday in the South Valley.

 

 

Family, friends and firefighters from around the state were among others who were paying their respects to the two fallen firefighters at the Porterville Church of the Nazarene.

 

 

Both men died Feb. 18 when they rushed inside the burning Porterville Public Library building to save lives.

 

A funeral service took place Thursday for 25-year-old Firefighter Patrick Jones, and people lined the street to watch the hearse made its way to the church, Tulare First United Methodist on Kern.

 

On Tuesday, 35-year-old Fire Captain Ray Figueroa was remembered at his funeral service.

 

Photo: Porterville Fire Chief Dave LaPere.

 

The Porterville Fire Department organized the joint memorial service Friday while the Porterville Breakfast Rotary put together a breakfast “to thank those that were there on Tuesday and those that put their lives on the line every day” taking place immediately after the memorial with possibly 1500 people attending.

“We are asking for a financial donation to help cover the cost of the meals, location rental, etc. We have one caterer volunteering his time to cook, and we’re working closely with the Fire Logistic Planning Team for the memorial. We are asking for additional financial assistance to help defer the cost of this event,” said Porterville Breakfast Rotary

If you would like to offset the cost now exceeding $12,000 make checks payable to the Porterville Breakfast Rotary Club.
Mail to PO BOX 149 Porterville CA 93258

Click to listen a report by KMJ’s Liz Kern: