KILGORE, Texas — Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009, will forever be etched in the hearts and minds of the Kilgore Fire Department.
On that day, firefighters Cory Galloway, 28, of Grand Saline, and Kyle Perkins, 45, of Kilgore, were training at Stark Hall on the Kilgore College campus.
As they were going through their exercises in a new ladder truck, the vehicle's aerial basket, which was carrying four firefighters, became caught on the eight-story building's parapet, according to the Kilgore News-Herald.
As an operator was attempting to free the basket, it swung away from the Stark Hall wall, tossing Galloway and Perkins against the basket walls. The Kilgore News-Herald reported the front door of the aerial platform failed causing the firefighters to fall.
Galloway and Perkins were taken to a local hospital where they later died.K
The Kilgore News-Herald reported three other firefighters sustained injuries during the incident.
Today, a memorial stands at KFD Station No. 2 honoring the lives and legacies of the department's fallen firefighters.
The memorial honors Galloway, Perkins, Charles "Buck" Frederick Sr., and Barry Hawthorne.
