EAST LOS ANGELES : Funds Raised to Aid Injured Firefighter

Friends of firefighter Hector Gabriel Larios are raising money to help defray his medical expenses after he was injured Aug. 20 in an Altadena fire.

Larios, 19, was one of two fire-suppression aides injured in an accident that killed two other members of Crew Camp Two from La Canada-Flintridge. He suffered third-degree burns over 40% of his body and lung damage.

Employees at El Centro Human Services Corp., where Larios’ father, Alfredo, worked, started a collection after they heard about the accident, said Olivia Valdepena, clinical coordinator of emergency services for the East Los Angeles company.

“Initially, we were just raising money through the agency, and we thought there were a lot of people who were friends of Alfredo throughout the county who would want to help,” Valdepena said.

So Valdepena and other employees held a reception at Tamayo’s restaurant in East Los Angeles earlier this month that raised $2,500; another was planned for last Thursday night.