One by one, firemen appealed to the lawmakers to consider an increase in the fire budget to help them out. Firemen stated that only four of them were the first responders at the fire at 526 Seward Street early Sunday. Later volunteers and crews from stations located in the valley showed up to provide mutual aid.
Two brothers, both from Mexico, “Wilfrido” Luis Román Olivarría Mora, 34, and Adrian de Jesus Olivarría Mora, 21, died in that blaze. Three others were injured and four firemen were taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation.
Firefighter Andrew Wheeler said the call volume in Juneau continues to rise while the number of firemen has not, "We need more staff. We will run 5,300 calls this year. Our staffing hasn't changed since we started the Fire Union. I think the Assembly understands and we look forward to watching how they react."