The leaders of crews fighting the Woolsey fire in Los Angeles and Ventura counties took a few minutes Thursday morning to honor a fallen Ventura County sheriff’s sergeant with a firefighters’ “last alarm” bell ringing ceremony.
The memorial service took place later in the day for Sgt. Ron Helus, gunned down Nov. 7 as he entered the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, to stop a shooter who ultimately killed 12 people and himself.
But the firefighters had to head out from the unified command post in Camarillo after the 7 a.m. briefing to rejoin their crews and resume fighting the blaze that broke out in Ventura County one day after the Borderline shooting.
“In my 30 years, I don’t think I have seen our agency with our backs against the wall like it’s been these last 10 days,” sheriff’s Commander Dave Murray told the gathering.