Benefit Planned for Families of 4 L.A. Firefighters

A memorial benefit dinner will be held Sunday to raise money for the families of four Los Angeles city firefighters killed in the line of duty last month.

Proceeds from the event, which is being hosted by Fire Station 37 and the Maui Beach Cafe, will go to the Widows and Orphans Fund of the Los Angeles Firemen’s Relief Assn., organizers said.

“To have four die in one month is catastrophic,” said Capt. Brian Cummings, who is chairing the dinner. “It really had a profound effect on everybody, departmentwide. The benefit is our way of healing this wound.”

On March 8, Capt. Joseph Dupee was killed while battling a fire in a South-Central industrial building, the first department fatality in 13 years.

Then on March 23, a Fire Department helicopter crashed in Griffith Park, killing rescue team members Michael Butler, Eric Reiner and Michael McComb, as well as an 11-year-old girl they were airlifting to a hospital.

The men left behind four widows and nine children, Cummings said.

Maui Beach Cafe owner Jeff Knight said he was inspired to organize the event by his father, who founded a charity for firefighters’ families in Boston.

Moreover, firefighters saved Knight’s son 11 years ago when the toddler fell into a backyard spa and was submerged 2 1/2 minutes, he said. “They were there in less than a minute and a half,” Knight said.

Adults are asked to donate a minimum of $50 per person for the dinner, which will feature Hawaiian cuisine. Children ages 8-17 will be admitted with a $25 donation, and children under 8 will eat free.

The event will be held from 4 to 10 p.m. at the Maui Beach Cafe, 1019 S. Westwood Blvd. in Westwood.