MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Hundreds gather in Wenatchee to honor fallen firefighters

Aug 30, 2015, 4:49 PM | Updated: Aug 31, 2015, 7:40 am

Firefighters salute as a U.S. Forest Service truck goes past before a memorial service for three fi...

Firefighters salute as a U.S. Forest Service truck goes past before a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP)

(AP)

An honor guard walks past a portrait of Thomas Zbyszewski at a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) A firefighter walks down the aisle as members of an honor guard salute to begin a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) An honor guard walks past a portrait of Andrew Zajac at a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Zajac, Richard Wheeler and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) An honor guard stands on stage near a portrait of Richard Wheeler at a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) Trudi Inslee, wife of Gov. Jay Inslee, hands a state flag to the family of Richard Wheeler at a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) A Washington State trooper salutes as he stands near a portrait of Andrew Zajac at a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Zajac, Richard Wheeler and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) A member of the Washington State Fire Service and Law Enforcement Mass Band calls out a command at a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) Family members, one carrying a fire tool given as a remembrance, are escorted out following a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) A Washington State Patrol trooper holds a state flag to be presented to the family as he stands near a portrait of Thomas Zbyszewski at a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) Firefighters salute at the beginning of a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) A memorial for firefighters who died tackling wildfires in Eastern Washington. Families members escorted by U.S. Forest Service members walk past an honor guard and others saluting as they walk into a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) Firerighters salute as a motorcade passes before a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Firefighters Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) A U.S. Forest Service truck passes as firefighters salute the arrival of a motorcade for a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) Hundreds of people streamed into Wenatchee Sunday to attend a memorial for three fallen firefighters who lost their lives battling the Okanogan wildfires this summer. Nina Villalobos looks on as a motorcade passes before a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Firefighters Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) U.S. Forest Service employees look on as a motorcade passes before a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Firefighters Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) People hold an American flag as they watch a U.S. Forest Service truck in a motorcade pass before a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Firefighters Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) People watch as a motorcade headed to a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire passes, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) A line of fire and other emergency vehicles drive in a motorcade to a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Firefighters Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) Firerighters salute as a U.S. Forest Service truck in a motorcade passes by before a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Firefighters Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) Firefighters stand at attention as a motorcade passes before a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Firefighters Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) U.S. Forest Service officials, including Chief Thomas Tidwell, center, salute the arrival of a motorcade to a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) A firefighters badge is covered with a black ribbon before a memorial service for three firefighters killed in a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Wenatchee, Wash. Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Thomas Zbyszewski died Aug. 19 in a fire near Twisp, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Hundreds of people streamed into Wenatchee Sunday to attend a memorial for three fallen firefighters who lost their lives battling the Okanogan wildfires this summer.

Fire crews dotted the Toyota Town Center, showing patches from local outposts, as well as those from as far away as Abbotsford, Canada, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Richard Wheeler, 31, Andrew Zajac, 26, and Tom Zbyszewski, just 20 years old, were on the front lines near Twisp on Aug. 19 where fires had expanded by more than 100 square miles nearly overnight.

Strong winds fueled the wildfires when flames overtook a vehicle the fire crew was riding in. It crashed, killing the three men, and injuring four others. One man, Daniel Lyon, is recovering at Harborview Medical Center with severe burns over 60 percent of his body.

The families each spoke about how their sons, from very different backgrounds, came together for a common cause: protecting their community, and the wilderness they loved.

Tom Zbyszewski’s parents remembered their son, who was supposed to return to Whitman College next week for his junior year, as the most loving man they both knew.

Richard Wheeler was a fourth-generation firefighter from Michigan and avid outdoorsman.

Andrew Zajac was from a small city in Illinois and moved to Winthrop with his wife after getting married last year.

Mary Zajac, Andrew’s mother, said she was grateful for the immense outpouring of support from those who fought fires alongside her son.

“Before now I’ve never looked closely at the effects of wildfires. But now I see that fires destroy thousands of acres, and yet leave small spots the size of a home, or a power plant or a town water supply completely untouched,” said Zajac to a crowd of firefighters. “And it looks at first like some kind of divine intervention, but it’s not. It’s the product of human courage and sweat, and now tears. I take comfort knowing that our son was involved in such noble work, because you are miracle workers in this world.”

The Twisp River Fire, which claimed the lives of the three, is now 98 percent contained as crews mop up hot spots. Three other fires making up the Okanogan Complex have burned hundreds of thousands of acres in northeastern Washington and are 25 percent contained.

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Hundreds gather in Wenatchee to honor fallen firefighters