Gone but not forgotten
Wayne Hodgson ( Dad)
Greg Hodgson ( Brother)
David Moody ( Brother )
Rick Villalobos ( Firefighter/Friend )
Died in fire
Died in
fall
fall
shot in
the chest
the chest
Motorcycle
accident
accident
Back to
SB50
SB50
March 14, 1970 - Nov. 12 , 1988
Died on my Mothers Birthday
Can a Cross stop a 9mm bullet , It will
try but in the end it will fail. The cross
pictured here was worn the night my
little brother was the unwilling
participant in this deadly experiment. 3
people were shot that night by one
bullet, the " Magic Bullet " theory is
still alive and well . . . . If ever a crime
needed a 2nd look this one would be it !!!!
Or just ask the trigger woman Tracy
Stewart from Brawley, California.
More on this story at a later time.
Died on my Mothers Birthday
Can a Cross stop a 9mm bullet , It will
try but in the end it will fail. The cross
pictured here was worn the night my
little brother was the unwilling
participant in this deadly experiment. 3
people were shot that night by one
bullet, the " Magic Bullet " theory is
still alive and well . . . . If ever a crime
needed a 2nd look this one would be it !!!!
Or just ask the trigger woman Tracy
Stewart from Brawley, California.
More on this story at a later time.
Notice the bend where
the bullet hit
the bullet hit
Forever Young
only 18 years old
only 18 years old
Fell at work and was in a coma
for 3.5 years dieing on his
birthday ......Happy Birthday
NOT !!!
for 3.5 years dieing on his
birthday ......Happy Birthday
NOT !!!
Holly Sugar Plant
Imperial Ca.
Imperial Ca.
This one hit everybody
like a brick to the side of
the head....only 28 and
one of the coolest dudes
I have ever known . . . .
like a brick to the side of
the head....only 28 and
one of the coolest dudes
I have ever known . . . .
March firefighter killed in motorcycle accident
10:27 AM PDT on Tuesday, August 21, 2007
By JOHN ASBURY
The Press-Enterprise
A March Air Force Reserve Federal Firefighter from Menifee was killed Saturday morning in a
motorcycle collision in northern San Diego County.
Staff Sgt. Ricardo Villalobos, 28, of Menifee died at 10:16 a.m. Saturday after he veered into
oncoming traffic on Highway 76, east of Valley Center Road in Pauma Valley, according to the San
Diego County Medical Examiner's office.
Villalobos collided head-on with a Ford tow-truck, the medical examiner's office said. He died at the
scene.
Villalobos worked as both a reserve military serviceman and a civilian firefighter for the base, also
assisting other firefighting agencies on calls, said March Air Reserve Fire Chief Jeffrey
Konersman.Villalobos was four-year veteran with the base's 452nd Fire Emergency Services Rescue
Team, assisting with fires, traffic collisions and medical calls. He also worked as an Air Force crew
chief twice a month with the U.S. Air Force and recently returned from a two-week tour in Alaska.
"We lost a brother," Konersman said. "It's a tough time for any firehouse. I always hoped I would
never loose a firefighter on my watch, but obviously that's not going to happen now."
A decorated firefighter and military funeral service will be held Monday at noon at St. Mary's
Catholic Church in Escondido, 1160 South Broadway, followed by a procession at Oak Hills Memorial
Park.
10:27 AM PDT on Tuesday, August 21, 2007
By JOHN ASBURY
The Press-Enterprise
A March Air Force Reserve Federal Firefighter from Menifee was killed Saturday morning in a
motorcycle collision in northern San Diego County.
Staff Sgt. Ricardo Villalobos, 28, of Menifee died at 10:16 a.m. Saturday after he veered into
oncoming traffic on Highway 76, east of Valley Center Road in Pauma Valley, according to the San
Diego County Medical Examiner's office.
Villalobos collided head-on with a Ford tow-truck, the medical examiner's office said. He died at the
scene.
Villalobos worked as both a reserve military serviceman and a civilian firefighter for the base, also
assisting other firefighting agencies on calls, said March Air Reserve Fire Chief Jeffrey
Konersman.Villalobos was four-year veteran with the base's 452nd Fire Emergency Services Rescue
Team, assisting with fires, traffic collisions and medical calls. He also worked as an Air Force crew
chief twice a month with the U.S. Air Force and recently returned from a two-week tour in Alaska.
"We lost a brother," Konersman said. "It's a tough time for any firehouse. I always hoped I would
never loose a firefighter on my watch, but obviously that's not going to happen now."
A decorated firefighter and military funeral service will be held Monday at noon at St. Mary's
Catholic Church in Escondido, 1160 South Broadway, followed by a procession at Oak Hills Memorial
Park.
L.A. firefighter killed in explosion
Duty Death: Brent A. Lovrien - [Los Angeles, California]
By Bob Pool, Andrew Blankstein and Rich Connell
The Los Angeles Times
Photo courtesy LAFD.
Firefighter Brent A. Lovrien.
LOS ANGELES — One Los Angeles firefighter was killed and another injured Wednesday afternoon in an explosion that rocked a Westchester business district as rescuers were
investigating reports of earlier blasts and smoke pouring from buildings.
The dead firefighter, who was identified as Brent A. Lovrein, 35, was blown back and possibly hit by building material when an electrical vault blew apart, ripping a gaping hole in
an office building at Sepulveda and La Tijera boulevards.
The second firefighter, Engineer Anthony J. Guzman, was being treated at UCLA Medical Center for a fractured arm and broken ankle. A civilian received minor injuries as well,
officials said.
The explosion occurred about 2:30 p.m. northeast of Los Angeles International Airport. It followed two earlier blasts that blew manhole covers skyward, according to Deputy Fire
Chief Mario Rueda.
Firefighters from Station 95, near LAX, were opening a metal-clad door on an electrical equipment vault to check for smoke when the blast occurred, Rueda said.
Metal, stucco and insulation blew out of the two-story building, which housed the Water and Power Community Credit Union, and large chunks of stucco hit a fire engine nearby.
The blast hit "like a sonic boom," said optometrist Kent Ashcraft, who was working nearby. "The walls shook."
"I had never heard anything that loud," said Cheryl Jackson, an optician in Ashcraft's office.
At a somber news conference where the firefighter's death was announced, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said, "It's a very sad and tragic day."
Seventy-two firefighters have died in the line of duty during the Los Angeles Fire Department's 126-year history. The last death occurred in 2004.
Fire Chief Douglas Barry said the tragedy was a reminder of the "heroism on display every day [that] goes unnoticed."
"These types of incidents hit us very, very deeply," he said. Counseling was being offered to co-workers of the dead firefighter.
"I just lost a brother," said Steve Tufts, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles, which represents more than 3,500 rank-and-file department members.
Lovrein lived in La Habra and joined the force in 1997. He was a hazardous materials specialist. Nicknamed "Lovey," he was known as someone who always helped his fellow
firefighters and liked to have a good time.
"He was always smiling; he had a great sense of humor," said Battalion Chief Pat Butler, who had been Lovrein's captain at another station.
Butler said Lovrein was divorced with no children and was survived by his father, mother and brother.
He recalled how Lovrein and other firefighters helped a colleague repair the roof at his Ventura County home several years ago.
"He was always willing to lend a helping hand," Butler said. "The roofing job may not have been that smooth, but we had a lot of fun doing it."
The cause of the explosion is under investigation but appeared to be an electrical malfunction, fire officials said. FBI agents and Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad
officers were helping firefighters scour the blast scene Wednesday evening.
Smoke had been seen coming from underground utility vaults in the area, said David Nahai, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
No power outages were reported in the area, so the blast may not have been caused by an electrical problem, Nahai said. "It's a mystery."
One source familiar with the investigation told The Times that the electrical systems in the area were being moved because of construction along Sepulveda Boulevard. The
firefighter, who was pronounced dead at Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center, may have been blown through a wall, the source said. A Fire Department spokesman said
he could not confirm exactly how the firefighter was injured.
Power was cut off to the area after the explosion. Nearly 400 customers remained without electricity Wednesday evening, and businesses were shut down for two blocks along
Sepulveda Boulevard.
Times staff writers Paloma Esquivel, Molly Hennessy- Fiske and Robert J. Lopez contributed to this story.
Copyright 2008 Los Angeles Times
All Rights Reserved
Duty Death: Brent A. Lovrien - [Los Angeles, California]
By Bob Pool, Andrew Blankstein and Rich Connell
The Los Angeles Times
Photo courtesy LAFD.
Firefighter Brent A. Lovrien.
LOS ANGELES — One Los Angeles firefighter was killed and another injured Wednesday afternoon in an explosion that rocked a Westchester business district as rescuers were
investigating reports of earlier blasts and smoke pouring from buildings.
The dead firefighter, who was identified as Brent A. Lovrein, 35, was blown back and possibly hit by building material when an electrical vault blew apart, ripping a gaping hole in
an office building at Sepulveda and La Tijera boulevards.
The second firefighter, Engineer Anthony J. Guzman, was being treated at UCLA Medical Center for a fractured arm and broken ankle. A civilian received minor injuries as well,
officials said.
The explosion occurred about 2:30 p.m. northeast of Los Angeles International Airport. It followed two earlier blasts that blew manhole covers skyward, according to Deputy Fire
Chief Mario Rueda.
Firefighters from Station 95, near LAX, were opening a metal-clad door on an electrical equipment vault to check for smoke when the blast occurred, Rueda said.
Metal, stucco and insulation blew out of the two-story building, which housed the Water and Power Community Credit Union, and large chunks of stucco hit a fire engine nearby.
The blast hit "like a sonic boom," said optometrist Kent Ashcraft, who was working nearby. "The walls shook."
"I had never heard anything that loud," said Cheryl Jackson, an optician in Ashcraft's office.
At a somber news conference where the firefighter's death was announced, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said, "It's a very sad and tragic day."
Seventy-two firefighters have died in the line of duty during the Los Angeles Fire Department's 126-year history. The last death occurred in 2004.
Fire Chief Douglas Barry said the tragedy was a reminder of the "heroism on display every day [that] goes unnoticed."
"These types of incidents hit us very, very deeply," he said. Counseling was being offered to co-workers of the dead firefighter.
"I just lost a brother," said Steve Tufts, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles, which represents more than 3,500 rank-and-file department members.
Lovrein lived in La Habra and joined the force in 1997. He was a hazardous materials specialist. Nicknamed "Lovey," he was known as someone who always helped his fellow
firefighters and liked to have a good time.
"He was always smiling; he had a great sense of humor," said Battalion Chief Pat Butler, who had been Lovrein's captain at another station.
Butler said Lovrein was divorced with no children and was survived by his father, mother and brother.
He recalled how Lovrein and other firefighters helped a colleague repair the roof at his Ventura County home several years ago.
"He was always willing to lend a helping hand," Butler said. "The roofing job may not have been that smooth, but we had a lot of fun doing it."
The cause of the explosion is under investigation but appeared to be an electrical malfunction, fire officials said. FBI agents and Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad
officers were helping firefighters scour the blast scene Wednesday evening.
Smoke had been seen coming from underground utility vaults in the area, said David Nahai, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
No power outages were reported in the area, so the blast may not have been caused by an electrical problem, Nahai said. "It's a mystery."
One source familiar with the investigation told The Times that the electrical systems in the area were being moved because of construction along Sepulveda Boulevard. The
firefighter, who was pronounced dead at Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center, may have been blown through a wall, the source said. A Fire Department spokesman said
he could not confirm exactly how the firefighter was injured.
Power was cut off to the area after the explosion. Nearly 400 customers remained without electricity Wednesday evening, and businesses were shut down for two blocks along
Sepulveda Boulevard.
Times staff writers Paloma Esquivel, Molly Hennessy- Fiske and Robert J. Lopez contributed to this story.
Copyright 2008 Los Angeles Times
All Rights Reserved
