First service for Esperanza fallen held

To the solemn toll of a bell and the intense keen of the bagpipes, firefighter Jason McKay was mourned today in the first of the services for those who died in the Esperanza arson wildfire.

“He was my strength and I couldn’t be more proud of him,” said Crystal McKay, Jason’s sister. “He taught me desire and fought fiercely for what he believed in.”

The 27-year-old McKay was the assistant engine operator, who with four colleagues on Engine 57 fought the Esperanza blaze hours after it began on Oct. 26. Fierce Santa Ana winds pushed the fire that overwhelmed the crew as they were trying to protect a house.

McKay’s was the first funeral today at the High Desert Church in Victorville. Services for the other four will be in the next few days. A public memorial service for all five firefighters is planned at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Hyundai Pavilion in Devore.

About 1,000 people went to the church today to honor McKay, 27. A photo of McKay, an urn and a photograph stood silent witness to the life and death of the fallen firefighter.

“Stand with me for one of the U.S. Forest Service’s finest and one of America’s bravest,” said Steve Seltzner, a U.S. Forest Service chaplain. He described McKay as an avid outdoorsman and someone who was quick to help others.

McKay had spent years learning his craft. He was a certified emergency medical technician and had earned an associate’s degree in fire service.

A pictorial tribute shown during the funeral featured pictures of McKay with his finance, Staci Burger. McKay was also honored with a last call from U.S. Forest Service — the solemn tones from a bell.

The first funeral came a day after Raymond Lee Oyler pleaded not guilty to arson and murder charges in connection with the fire, which destroyed 40,200 acres of rugged terrain in Riverside County, some 20 miles from Palm Springs.

In addition to the five firefighters killed, 12 firefighters were injured. Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate their homes and 34 houses were destroyed.

The Esperanza fire was the deadliest for firefighters since a Colorado wildfire in 1994.

Oyler was charged with five counts of murder, 11 counts of arson and 10 counts of use of an incendiary device. Authorities are still weighing whether to seek the death penalty.

Funeral services have also been scheduled for firefighters Jess McLean, 27, of Beaumont; Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20, of San Jacinto; Mark Loutzenhiser, 43, of Idyllwild; and Pablo Cerda, 23, of Fountain Valley.

Today’s service ended with a procession of fire engines from area stations moving solemnly to the McKay family home in nearby Apple Valley.