SEAL BEACH - Kevin Woyjeck, one of 19 firefighters who died Sunday in the fast-moving Yarnell Hill fire in Arizona,
grew up around the fire stations of Los Angeles County while aspiring to follow his father's path in the fire service.
"We come from a family of firefighters. He knew from a young age, that's what he was going to do," said Kevin's
father, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Joe Woyjeck said at the family's home in Seal Beach.
The elder Woyjeck is a 33-year veteran of the fire service.
"It's a dangerous job. We've all been hurt. You just hope you don't get the big hurt," said Joe Woyjeck, who is
currently posted at the Los Angeles County Fire Department's station in Bellflower.
Monday, an American flag was draped from the second floor of the balcony of the Woyjeck's' home. The Stars
and Stripes and a red firefighters' helmet served as a memorial to the younger Woyjeck, 21, who died in Arizona
after spending much of his youth in preparation for a career in the fire department.
Woyjeck died while responding alongside his fellow members of the Granite Mountain Hot Shot Crew, a specialized
unit of wildland firefighters. Powerful winds that changed directions while gusting at 40 mph to 50 mph trapped
crew members around 3 p.m. Sunday. The spread of the deadly fire was so rapid the blaze grew from 200 acres
to about 2,000 in mere hours.
The blaze grew to cover more than 13 square miles and had also destroyed about 200 homes and structures in the
Yarnell area by Monday afternoon, according to authorities. The town of Yarnell is about 85 miles northwest of Phoenix.
Two of the other fallen hot shots also grew up in Southern California. Firefighters Chris Mackenzie and Billy Warneke
both grew up in the Riverside County city of Hemet.
Several firefighters visited the Woyjeck's home Monday to offer their condolences. Visiting firefighters wore black
bands around the badges as a traditional sign of mourning.
As the father of a fallen firefighter received hugs from friends, he said, "I have a tight family, and I have a tight
fire family." Kevin Woyjeck, who graduated from Los Alamitos High School where he was a popular member of the
track-and-field team, also spent time as a Seal Beach junior lifeguard and studied fire and rescue techniques at
Los Angeles County Fire Department Explorer Post 9, based in Cerritos.
The younger Woyjeck also earned an EMT certificate and responded to emergency calls for Care Ambulance Service
before becoming a wildland firefighter.
Engineer Scott Miller recalled that Kevin Woyjeck, while at the Explorer Post, earned the privilege of riding along
with firefighters to calls and could often be counted upon to rally the others at atraining session or help another
aspiring firefighter achieve career goals.
"He was just that leader, and (had) this willingness to help others," Engineer Scott Miller said. "He even helped one
of the other explorers get a job with Care Ambulance."
