‘A Special Kid': 3 Firefighters Killed in Washington Blaze ID'd

Three firefighters who were killed battling a fast-growing wildfire in Twisp, Washington, were identified as Tom Zbyszewski, 20, Andrew Zajac, 26, and Richard Wheeler, 31. 

The men, all members of an engine crew from Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in central Washington, died Wednesday after their vehicle crashed and was overtaken by flames. The fire was driven by wind and spread erratically, the U.S. Forest Service said. 

"We know that these fires have burned a big hole in our state's heart," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said earlier Thursday. "These are three big heroes protecting small towns."

Zbyszewski
Tom Zbyszewski one of the firefighters killed while fighting a fire in Washington state.

Zbyszewski 's father, Rick, a former Forest Service firefighter, called his son, who was a straight-A student, "a special kid."

andrewZajac
Andrew Zajac
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