CALIFORNIA FIREFIGHTER, 25, DROWNS ON TRIP TO POPULAR BEACH
A California firefighter drowned on a trip to San Diego with friends and family.
Caeden Laffan, 25, was swimming on the north side of the Pacific Pier south of La Jolla around 2 a.m. Thursday when he disappeared beneath the waves, KUSI reported.
The Oakland firefighter was in town for the California Firefighter Games, an annual gathering that brings firemen across the state together for friendly sports competition.
San Diego Fire-Rescue said it is possible alcohol was involved and the young man had walked into waist-deep waters before vanishing.
'We searched for a couple of hours with a rescue boat, land units, and a Coast Guard helicopter,' San Diego Lifeguard Lt. Rick Romero said.
However, it wasn't long before Caedan's body was spotted in the surf.
'We weren't able to locate him. We were doing our last patrol on the shoreline, and our lifeguard sergeant spotted him. He had washed onto the beach on the north side of the pier. Unfortunately, incidents happen. And it's just a sad story.'
San Diego Fire Chief Colin Stowell promised to treat Caeden's death as if he was one of his own children, and the young man's body was seen with a U.S. flag draped over it as local police and fire personnel transported him to the medical examiner's van.
The Oakland Fire Department confirmed the 25-year-old's death calling him a promising young member of the force.
'Caeden Laffan was a young enthusiastic member of the Oakland Fire Department, with a bright future ahead of him, and we're all heartbroken today after learning of this tragic event,' said Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington.
'Our hearts go out to the entire Laffan family, and all who know him, worked with him and loved him. The Laffan family and I sincerely appreciate the coordination and support of the San Diego Fire Department as our members continue to respond and grieve.'
His mother, Sabrina Laffan, was on the scene to identify him, just four years after her assistant fire chief husband, Sean Laffan, died on duty.
Caedan joined the Oakland Fire Department in 2019 and worked with his father for a year before he died of a heart attack while at work, reported KTVU.
The young man said at the time of his father's death, 'We had about 10 years we could have worked together in the fire department. It got cut short to a year, but I loved every second of it. That's for sure.'
The Laffans are a firefighting family - Caeden's maternal grandfather served as a firefighter, and his younger brother, Cooper, is now in the fire academy.
His mother often works with the Oakland Fire Department offering mental health services to fire crews.
Chief Covington plans on supporting the Laffan family through this tragedy and is flying out to San Diego.
'We're going to reach out and support our membership, but we're really going to try to reach out and support the Laffan family,' said Covington.
'They've suffered such great loss. It's almost incomprehensible how much loss you can really suffer and still remain standing, so we're going to support them as much as we can.'
Read more 2024-06-29T01:40:04Z dg43tfdfdgfd