California Firefighter Dies Battling Wildfire Leaving Behind a Pregnant Wife & Young Daughter

California’s widespread fires claimed a second life Thursday, with a firefighter killed as he fought a blaze near Ventura County.

Cory Iverson, a 32-year-old fire-engine strike team member of Cal Fire’s San Diego unit, was one of the thousands battling to get the Thomas Fire under control since Dec. 4. The blaze is the fourth-largest in the state’s history.

Iverson’s wife Ashley is currently pregnant with their second child. The couple also has a 2-year-old daughter, Evie. A GoFundMe page has been created by Ashley’s friend to help with expenses following this tragedy.

“We are deeply saddened to have to notify you of a fatality involving one of our firefighters,” the station agency, which Iverson was a part of since 2009, confirmed on social media.

“Today, Fire Apparatus Engineer Cory Iverson has succumbed to fatal injuries while engaged in fire suppression efforts on the Thomas Fire. We ask that everyone take a minute to keep the entire Iverson family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.”

Around 4 p.m. local time, Iverson’s body was loaded into a hearse and taken to the Ventura County Medical Examiner, with firefighters lining the road in tribute, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“Cory and Ashley are expecting a second daughter this spring. Our thoughts and prayers are with Cory’s family and all of his friends and co-workers throughout the department and the fire service,” Cal Fire Director Chief Ken Pimlott said, according to multiple local news outlets.

How Iverson was killed remains unclear. Speaking in Ventura during a media briefing, Chief Pimlott said an accident review team had been assigned to review the circumstances that led to Iverson’s death.

Cal Fire San Diego Chief Tony Meacham said at a media briefing in Escondido, 30 miles northeast of San Diego, that Iverson had engaged in a “very active part of the fire” just outside of Fillmore when the accident happened as reported by the San Diego Tribune.

As of Thursday evening, the Thomas Fire was approximately 30-percent contained, according to Cal Fire.

James Morrison, Rob Lowe and more honored Iverson on social media, sharing tributes and condolences to his family and fellow firefighters.

On Dec. 5 a 70-year-old woman was found dead, it is believed she crashed while trying to evacuate the Thomas Fire.