For 19 fallen firefighters in Arizona, mourning and disbelief

Kevin Woyjeck had firefighting in his blood.

His father is a Los Angeles County Fire Department captain of nearly 30 years. Woyjeck followed in his footsteps, hoping to eventually work side by side with his dad, Joe Woyjeck.

Kevin was part of the elite wild-land firefighting unit assigned to battle a fast-moving blaze near Yarnell, Ariz. He and 18 other firefighters were killed Sunday when flames overtook them.

The tragedy was especially keenly felt in California, where five of the dead firefighters grew up. Woyjeck, 21, of Seal Beach; Grant McKee, 21 of Orange County; Sean Misner, 26, of the Santa Ynez Valley; and Hemet natives Billy Warneke, 25, and Chris MacKenzie, 30, went missing with members of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew as the evacuated town of Yarnell was ravaged by a wildfire.

Flags across Los Angeles County and elsewhere were at half staff to honor the fallen men as tributes poured in.

“This is an unspeakable tragedy for the entire country, and a grim reminder of the dangers that first responders face on a daily basis,” Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said in a statement.

Woyjeck started as a Fire Explorer, an L.A. County Fire Department mentorship and training program, and was a paramedic in Los Angeles and Orange counties, according to LAFD Inspector Keith Mora.

“It truly breaks my heart that I stand here and speak on behalf of my profession and my department, and on behalf of the Woyjeck family,” L.A. County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said as he tried to hold back tears.

“But I also have solace in knowing that Kevin was doing what he truly enjoyed, and that was being a firefighter.”

Osby said Woyjeck was excited about his new job in Arizona and looked forward to the day he would become a Los Angeles County firefighter.

Woyjeck looked out for others and was committed to following in his father’s footsteps, said Kevin Hashemi, 20, who met Woyjeck about two years ago in the fire academy in Southern California.

“Everyone is shaken up,” Hashemi said. “Firefighting is a brotherhood. Any death affects the whole community, but when you know someone, it’s that much worse.”

Billy Warneke, who was in ROTC in high school, joined the Marines and served one tour in Iraq. When he completed his service, he got married and used the GI Bill to become a firefighter, said his grandmother Nancy Warneke. The Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew was his first fire job.

He and his wife, Roxanne, had met in high school. They were expecting their first child and recently moved to Tucson to live near her family, Nancy Warneke said.

“It’s hard to believe it’s all happened, but he died doing what he believed in,” his grandmother said. “We can be proud.”

He loved the outdoors and wildlife, and he and his wife hoped to plant a garden at their new place, she said. He liked cooking and his grandmother’s zucchini bread, a few loaves of which were reserved for him in her freezer.

Chris MacKenzie was a 2001 Hemet High graduate who joined the U.S. Forest Service in 2004. He moved to the Prescott Fire Department about two years ago, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported. He became a firefighter like his father, former Moreno Valley Cal Fire Capt. Mike MacKenzie.

When MacKenzie’s childhood friend Dav Fulford-Brown heard about the Arizona fire Sunday, he said, “‘Oh my God, that’s Chris’ crew.’ I started calling him and calling him and got no answer.”

An avid snowboarder, MacKenzie lived his life to the fullest and was “fighting fire just like his dad,” Fulford-Brown told the Press-Enterprise.

“He was finishing his credentials to get promoted and loved the people. It’s an insane tragedy,” he said.

Grant McKee attended Newport Harbor High School, his neighbor said. He had just joined the Granite Mountain hotshot crew after his cousin, Robert Caldwell, 23, got him a job. Both died Sunday.

Sean Misner, 26, leaves behind a wife who is seven months’ pregnant, Mark Swanitz, principal of Santa Ynez Valley Union High School, told the Associated Press. He was the nephew of Montecito Fire Department Operations Chief Terry McElwee and grandson of former Fire Chief Herb McElwee, according to the department.

Misner played varsity football and participated in the school’s sports medicine program, where he wrapped sprained ankles and took care of sidelined athletes.

“He was a team player, a real helper,” Swanitz said. “He was very passionate and committed to his career as a firefighter.”

Misner played several positions on his high school’s football team, including wide receiver and defensive back. He was slim, but that didn’t stop him from tackling his opponents, retired football coach Ken Gruendyke said.

“He played with tremendous heart and desire,” Gruendyke said. “He wasn’t the biggest or fastest guy on the team, but he played with great emotion and intensity.”

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Times staff writer Laura J. Nelson contributed to this report.