PHOTOS: Firefighters from various departments around the Valley joined together Thursday morning to hike Camelback Mountain to remember fallen Tempe fire Capt. Kyle Brayer.
“He was a leader in almost every way," firefighter Eric Arias, a friend of Brayer, said. "One of those people that being around him wanted to make you do better." This was the second year firefighters have made the hike since Brayer's death in 2018. The tradition started when a couple of friends of Brayer decided to climb the mountain to honor him, but the word spread quickly and 70 people showed up.
Arias explained that because of the amazing turnout last year, they decided to make the hike an annual event. This year, they had even more people show up and had participants from 10 different fire departments.
Firefighters brought their wives, kids, and friends to make the hike. So many showed up that there were traffic delays because there were not enough parking spaces to accommodate everyone.