Fire Engineer Scott P. Desmond, 37, and Fire Captain Matt C. Burton, 34,
who died in a San Pablo house fire Saturday morning.
Courtesy of Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
(07-21) 18:13 PDT SAN PABLO -- Two Contra Costa County firefighters lost their lives Saturday after they were caught in an explosion of flames as they tried unsuccessfully to rescue a couple from their burning home in unincorporated San Pablo, authorities said.
A seemingly routine call for help quickly turned disastrous with four lives lost, and left the 300-member Contra Costa County Fire Protection District reeling from the first on-duty deaths in its history.
Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Capt. Matt Burton, 34, of Concord, Fire Engineer Scott Desmond, 37, of Brentwood, and residents Delbert Moore, 67, and his wife of 18 years, Gayle, 62, died in the blaze at the couple's ranch-style, one-story home on Michele Drive in the Montalvin Manor neighborhood, authorities said.
The firefighters had managed to pull one victim from the home and were trying to find the other person when they were caught in a "flashover," which happens when hot gases build up in a building and cause bursts of flame to erupt, said Fire Chief Keith Richter.
"They did not make it out," Richter said. "Obviously, this is a devastating loss for the district and certainly for their families. Our hearts go out to them."
Burton, a firefighter for more than 10 years, was married and had two children. Desmond leaves behind his wife of three years, Carolyn, and their 17-month-old son, Tyler. Desmond was usually based at an Antioch fire station. On Saturday, he and Burton were assigned to the San Pablo station, said fire Capt. Bob Atlas.
"Scott was my best friend," said Atlas, who graduated with Desmond in the same county fire-academy class eight years ago. "He was a tremendous individual with phenomenal skills. Everybody liked him. I don't think there was a single person that didn't have a great comment to say about him. He was a salt-of-the-earth guy."
The firefighters' deaths underscore the dangers they face on the job, Atlas said. "There's no question this is an extremely dangerous job," he said. "When we take our oath to do our job, this is something we love to do. We want to help people. He died trying to make this a better world."
Gayle Moore has served as state head of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, an international nonprofit organization. She recently retired from the group to take care of her ailing husband, who suffered from diabetes and emphysema and got around in a scooter. Her husband had served as local San Pablo Eagles president. Both smoked, but the cause of the blaze was under investigation.
"It's bad. I was down there watching it," said Montalvin Manor resident Sharon Cook, 50, as she walked her dog, Faye. "It's a dangerous job, and it's something they don't get much appreciation for. They just figure it's their duty, their job, but they don't realize that firefighters have lives and families."
The fire was reported at the home about 1:45 a.m. Firefighters were told that the two residents were unaccounted for and began searching for them as a fire raged inside the house, Richter said.
Gayle Moore might have escaped outside, only to go back in to try to find her husband, the chief said. She was later pulled out of the house but was pronounced dead. When fire crews weren't able to reach Burton or Desmond on the radio, colleagues went to look for them. They were found in the same general area inside the home, Richter said, without elaborating.
The firefighters who died wore standard gear, including coats, helmets and self-contained breathing apparatus, but the material "won't stand up for very long" under intense heat from a flashover, Richter said.
Richter said there were no indications that there was a delayed response by firefighters nor problems with water pressure.
Contra Costa fire and sheriff's investigators cordoned off part of Michele Drive as they documented the scene and tried to determine what started the blaze. They were also joined by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and state Cal Fire officials.
Engine 70 remained parked in the middle of the street Saturday. Flowers adorned the engine's front bumper as well as Fire Station 70 on San Pablo Avenue. The fire district employs more than 300 firefighters in 30 stations in nine cities and the county's unincorporated areas.
"There will obviously be a lot of questions asked in the investigation, We're still trying to put the pieces together," said Richter, his badge wrapped with a black band of mourning. "It's going to be a slow and painful process."
The Moores leave behind a daughter, Gwen, and sons George and Charles.
For 21 years, Gayle Moore served as secretary for the San Pablo chapter of the Eagles. In June, she retired from that position and, at the same time, ended a one-year stint as the group's "California State Madam Secretary." Sandy Gonzales, 59, of Richmond, current secretary for the Eagles chapter in San Pablo, said Delbert Moore was a member of the Richmond Rod and Gun Club who taught her to shoot rifles.
Gayle Moore was a "wonderful, warm-hearted, loving person," Gonzales said.
The firefighters' deaths came less than a month after Richmond Deputy Fire Marshal Ron Wiley died after crashing on the Carquinez Bridge.
God bless these brave brothers and our symapthies to thier fellow firefighters from thier east coast family of brothers.
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