William F. DeAvilla
Department: USFS
Deceased: July 21, 1940
William F. DeAvilla, 27, was well-regarded as hard-working, energetic and likeable by his firefighter family who knew him best. He was the fire suppression crew leader with the Klamath National Forest, who made it his mission to protect the area and its citizens. He was called to duty for the last time when a lightning-caused fire broke out in the Siskiyou Mountains. He was struck in the head by a falling tree limb and died from injuries sustained. It was the first forest fire suppression fatality of the season.
On the Memorial
Located in Sacramento, the California Firefighters Memorial immortalizes the names of those lost in the line of duty. Learn more ยป