(Wilmington) April 25, 2004 -- One firefighter was killed and another severely injured in an accident that occurred while the Midewin Interagency Hotshot Crew was en route to their home base after being released from a fire assignment in Florida. The Midewin Hotshots, based in Wilmington, Illinois had been assigned to the East Fork Fire on the Apalachicola National Forest.
The accident occurred late Friday night, April 23, in West Memphis, Arkansas. Al Toepke, 30, was killed, and Vance Hazelton, 30, was injured and was in serious condition in Memphis, Tennessee. Both men were from Winona, Minnesota, and were employed by the U.S. Forest Service for the Midewin Hotshots based on the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Illinois.
The cause of the accident is under investigation by the local authorities and the U.S. Forest Service.
Funeral services for Al Toepke were scheduled for 1:00 p.m., Friday, April 30, at Peace Church in New Salem, North Dakota. A memorial service was scheduled for 1:00 p.m., Saturday, May 8, in Winona, Minnesota.
The Toepke family has requested that contributions in Al
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Jenni McClelland/NFFF
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