Fire destroys wildland firefighter’s home, kills two dogs while battling fire
A wildland firefighter who protected people's homes and lives during the Pipeline Fire lost his home and his two dogs died from an unrelated fire.
By David Caltabiano
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FLAGSTAFF, Arizona (KTVK, KPHO) — A wildland firefighter who protected people’s homes and lives during the Pipeline Fire lost his home and his two dogs died from an unrelated fire. “It was life changing. It literally flipped my world upside down,” said Casey Craven, who came back to camp from the frontlines to find his home, a trailer he lived in, destroyed by a fire.
His two Rottweilers, Junior and Alley, who were inside, also died. “They both spent their whole lives on an engine and on an ambulance or on a fire scene or on a camp. They were always there with me, whether you seen them or not, they were there loving on somebody or getting love from somebody,” said Craven.
The Mississippi native was left homeless after the Father’s Day flames but not for long. His boss opened up his home to him and, soon after, opened a GoFundMe account for people to help him. So far, it has more than $10,000, less than $2,000 from the target goal.
“Normally it’s us helping everybody and for the community to come together and helping the ones that are usually helping everybody. It’s hard to take in but it’s also a blessing at the same time,” said Craven. If there is any silver lining, Craven said it’s the support from the community. “We have y’all and they have us it seems. It’s really nice,” said Craven.
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