Contra Costa County firefighters Matthew Burton and Scott Desmond gave their lives in the line of duty July 21st 2007 in a rescue attempt during a devastating house fire in San Pablo that also took the lives of two citizens.
Captain Matt Burton, 34, of Concord, and Fire Engineer Scott Desmond, 37, of Brentwood, died after becoming trapped inside the burning home.
These firefighters were able to pull one of the two elderly residents from a bedroom of the home before returning to retrieve the second person. At that point heat inside the home became so intense that the bedroom suddenly burst into a ball of flames, also known as a “flashover.”
Burton and Desmond were members of the district’s Station 70 in San Pablo. They were known as two two devoted family men who wore a “permanent smile” and loved their fire service lives.
Brothers Burton and Desmond were honored with a 10-mile long apparatus procession that included vehicles from across California, Oregon, and Washington. The procession was followed by a solemn service at the Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord.
The memories of the heroic firefighters are now etched in the local community. In April 2021, Con Fire celebrated the opening of its new Fire Station 70 on 23rd Street in San Pablo, which was dedicated in honor of Capt. Burton and Engineer Desmond. A plaque at the station serves as a constant reminder of their sacrifice and service.
