LOS ANGELES (CNS)—Mayor Eric Garcetti on Jan. 5 ordered flags in Los Angeles to fly at half-staff to mourn the death of Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Captain George Roque, who died from coronavirus-related complications.
“We honor his courage over more than 20 years of service to our city,” Garcetti said on Twitter. “We send love to his family. He will never be forgotten.”
Roque, 57, was a 22-year veteran of the LAFD, assigned to Fire Station 97 in the Laurel Canyon/Mulholland area, according to LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas. He died Jan. 1.
He is survived by his wife and four children.
Plans for a private funeral service have not been announced, according to the fire department’s Brian Humphrey. The department escorted Roque’s body from a hospital to a mortuary on Jan. 4, Humphrey said.
“On behalf of the men and women of the LAFD, I send my deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the Roque family and his friends and colleagues throughout the department,'' Terrazas said Jan. 1.
Firefighter and paramedic Jose Perez was the LAFD’s first death from the pandemic. He died in July 2020.
On Dec. 29, the most recent update from the Emergency Operations Center reported that 672 LAFD employees have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
Garcetti announced on Dec. 28 that the department had enough Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to administer first doses to “virtually everybody” at the department.
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