Mourners Pay Respects To Firefighter Killed In Arizona Blaze
(CBS) – Mourners paid their respects Thursday to a man from the north suburbs who died while fighting a wildfire in Arizona.
Anthony Rose was one of 19 firefighters who perished while battling the blaze north of Phoenix.
Colleagues lined up to offer a final salute in Zion, CBS 2's Chris Martinez reports.
It was overwhelming for Alex Sperry to see the tribute to his brother. Rose's life and death as a firefighter was both celebrated and mourned.
"He did the thing that he loved and he did it up to the very end," Sperry said.
Firefighting was Rose's passion. His career began after he moved from Beach Park to Arizona as a teenager.
It's where he would ultimately lose his life, along with 18 others, battling a massive wildfire.
"We know the job that we do and we know it's important, important to others, and we take that risk for the service of others," said Lt. Justin Stried of the Zion Fire Rescue Department.
