Eureka Firefighters Travel to Arizona for Firefighter Funerals

Eight firefighters from the Eureka Fire Protection District and the Clayton Fire Department are in Yarnell, Ariz., this week for a solemn, important task. 

They are members of the Missouri Fire Service Funeral Team and will be there to assist in whatever way possible as the state puts to rest the 19 firefighters killed during last week fighting a deadly wildfire. 

The members from the St. Louis area are from the Eureka and Clayton Fire Departments, according to the team's State Coordinator Brian Zinanni from Webster Groves.

Zinanni tells Patch, the Missouri Fire Service Funeral Assistance Team's administrative operation is based in Webster Groves, but firefighters with the team travel the county to help plan funerals and work with the families of the fallen firefighters to apply for state and federal benefits.

KSDK spoke to the team last week as they prepared to head out, including Harriet Vaucher, the widow of late Eureka Fire Chief George Manetzke, who died in the line of duty. A bell with an engraved plaque dedicated to his memory is one of the many items the firefighters will provide for use during the funeral services.

Vaucher told the KSDK that support from members of the community and of the fire districts in Arizona will be vital to helping the families through this difficult time. 

Learn more about the Missouri Fire Service Funeral Assistance Team here.

Editor's note: A previous version of this article incorrectly spelled the last name of former Eureka Fire Chief George Manetzke. Patch regrets the error and any confusion it may have caused.