Revering the fallen of Engine 57

On a radiant Sunday afternoon in an amphitheater often used as a command post for fighting fires in the San Bernardino mountains, a fire alarm bell sounded for the last time for five men who died fighting the Esperanza fire.

Ten thousand people -- including thousands of firefighters in green and brown or smart black uniforms -- filled the seats at the Hyundai Pavilion in Devore to remember the crew of Engine 57, who perished after the wind-whipped conflagration changed direction and swept them up in the flames as they tried to protect a house.

Four of the firefighters died that day, and one, Pablo Cerda, 23, of Fountain Valley, succumbed last week to burns that covered 90% of his body.

The fire, believed to be arson, started early on Oct. 26 and engulfed the men and their truck within hours. It consumed 40,000 acres and destroyed 34 homes before it was contained Oct. 30. Firefighting operations cost nearly $10 million.

Along the perimeter of the outdoor amphitheater, Forest Service fire trucks with “In Memory of Engine 57 Firefighters” and “10-26-06” stenciled on their windows formed a half-circle around the seated crowd. Ferns and flowers decorated the stage as colleagues and a parade of state and national dignitaries offered tributes to the fallen.

They spoke of Mark Loutzenhiser, 43, of Idyllwild as a beloved captain and father of five who always put others’ safety before his own. Jess McLean, 27, of Beaumont was remembered as the dedicated engine operator who always demanded the most backbreaking jobs, despite his slight frame.

Jason McKay, 27, of Phelan, an assistant engine operator who went out of his way to comfort friends and family members who were in need, was engaged to be married. The two youngest firefighters, Cerda and Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20, of San Jacinto, had just begun pursuing their firefighting dreams.

“They inspired everyone who knew them,” said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who attended the memorial, as did challenger Phil Angelides and other officeholders. Firefighters, the governor said, “are heroes in the true sense of the word. And none were more courageous than the fallen men of the Esperanza fire. We will never forget their bravery, we will never forget their valor, and we will never forget their sacrifice.”

San Bernardino National Forest Supervisor Jeanne Wade-Evans said the men “loved doing their jobs, but they also loved going home afterward.”

“This time,” she said, “they could not go home.”

“The sense of loss that we feel -- everyone feels -- is profound, painful, and it will remain with us.”

The families of the firefighters declined to be interviewed and asked the crew’s bosses -- Mike Dietrich, fire chief of the San Bernardino National Forest, and Norm Walker, division chief for the San Jacinto Ranger District -- to speak on their behalf during the service.

Dietrich and Walker described the crew as a model of discipline and dedication, but also joked about how the men tested limits to get their way. They insisted, for example, on scraping up the money to build the state-of-the-art Alandale fire station, even doing their own tiling and solar lighting installation.

“We are all going to have to work a little harder and do a little bit better because Engine Co. 57 has raised the bar forever,” Walker said.

Urging the two surviving members of Engine 57’s crew, and other firefighters in attendance, to carry on in their memory, Tom Harbour, director of fire and aviation management for the Forest Service, used the firefighting phrase “bump up” -- a signal from one crew to the next that a situation is under control and the others can move on to the next assignment -- to urge colleagues to carry on.

“Can we go forward, Engine 57? Can we bump up?” Harbour asked. “The answer for Mark, Jess, Jason, Pablo and Daniel is yes. They can be trusted.” The audience erupted into applause.

Several speakers spoke angrily about the fire, which authorities say was set.

“The Esperanza fire was set intentionally -- a deliberate act that terrorized thousands of citizens, destroyed our land, took our property and took the lives of these brave men,” Dietrich said, noting that if the wind had blown a little harder “much of the community could not have been evacuated in time.”

Other speakers included Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Reps. Jerry Lewis, Mary Bono and Joe Baca, Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth, and Mark Rey, undersecretary of agriculture for natural resources and environment.

Lynn Tracy, 61, of Riverside said she felt compelled to attend the memorial service to honor the firefighters.

“I still can’t believe that somebody would intentionally set a fire, and these men, so young [and] protecting someone’s house, would give up their lives for someone else.”

The Riverside County district attorney’s office on Thursday charged Raymond Lee Oyler with setting the Esperanza blaze and murdering the five firefighters.

During the investigation, authorities took DNA samples from Oyler and searched his house and his two cars, seizing cigarette butts and a gas can. Officials have charged him with arson in 11 fires from June to Oct. 28, when the Esperanza fire began in Cabazon at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains on Esperanza Road.

Authorities say that evidence against Oyler is strong, but Oyler’s attorney says his client, who has never been convicted of arson, adamantly denies any involvement in the Esperanza fire.

In the final moments of Sunday’s service, the names of the dead were read and colleagues rang an antique fire bell, which has been rung at the funerals of fallen firefighters for 100 years.

As the bell clanged, firefighters in the crowd bowed their heads and clapped their hands or their hats to their chests. Bagpipers played “Amazing Grace.”

As the Forest Service honor guard filed out to the steady beat of drums, four air tankers thundered overhead, flying west from the San Bernardino Mountains.

Four helicopters followed, but as they reached the amphitheater, one peeled off and plunged toward the horizon -- a final tribute to the five who gave their lives.