Friends and family said goodbye to well-respected Phoenix Fire Captain Chris Fitzmaurice this week. He was killed in a tragic ATV crash near Flagstaff the day after Thanksgiving.
Hundreds of his firefighting brothers and sisters arrived to pay their respects at Christ Church of the Valley near 67th Avenue and Happy Valley Road on Thursday.
"The loss of him, it is just something we can't even comprehend at the moment,” Phoenix Fire Captain P.J. Dean said.
Capt. Dean said that Chris rose through the ranks at the Phoenix Fire Department over the past 20 years. He was 45 years old at the time of his death.
“He put his heart and soul into everything, he put his all into everything. And he was rewarded with that in the form of his family, and all of those who loved him,” Dean said.
Fitzmaurice served at Phoenix Fire Station 20, located at 7th Avenue and Glendale. His crew brought Engine 20, the very one that Fitzmaurice rode in countless times, to the service.
Now, Fitzmaurice’s friends are standing up to support his family. A GoFundMe account has been set up for his wife and four young daughters.
There’s also fundraiser planned for Saturday at Fire Station 20. It runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and all donations go directly to Fitzmaurice’s family.
