A firefighter from California drowned while on a trip to San Diego with friends and family.
The 25-year-old Caeden Laffan was swimming on the Pacific Pier's north side at about 2am on Thursday when he went missing in the water, according to KUSI . The firefighter from Oakland was in San Diego for the California Firefighter Games; an annual get-together of firemen for a friendly sports competition.
San Diego Fire-Rescue said the young man walked into waist-deep waters before disappearing, adding it is possible alcohol was involved. San Diego Lifeguard Lt. Rick Romero told the Daily Mail : "We searched for a couple of hours with a rescue boat, land units, and a Coast Guard helicopter.
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"'We weren't able to locate him. We were doing our last patrol on the shoreline, and our lifeguard sergeant spotted him. He had washed onto the beach on the north side of the pier. Unfortunately, incidents happen. And it's just a sad story."
San Diego Fire Chief Colin Stowell said he would treat his death as if he was his own child, with Mr Laffan's body having a US flag draped over him when it was transported to the medical examiner's van.
Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington described Mr Laffan as an "enthusiastic member of the Oakland Fire Department with a bright future ahead of him". He continued: "We’re all heartbroken today after learning of this tragic event.
“Our hearts go out to the entire Laffan family, and all who know him, worked with him, and loved him. The Laffan family and I sincerely appreciate the coordination and support of the San Diego Fire Department as our members continue to respond and grieve.”
The statement from the fire department said the Laffan family had been notified and that Caeden’s mother Sabrina Laffan was on the scene to identify him. The tragic death comes four years after Caeden Laffan’s father, Oakland Fire Department Assistant Chief Sean Laffan, died in the line of duty at the age of 42 in November 2020.
Caedan joined the Oakland Fire Department in 2019 and is understood to have worked with his own dad for a year before dying of a heart attack while at work, according to KTVU .
Caeden Laffan, the oldest of three sons, told KTVU back in 2020 that he had wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and had hoped to work alongside him for many years.
He said at the time: "We had about 10 years we could have worked together in the fire department.
"It got cut short to a year, but I loved every second of it. That's for sure."
The Laffans are a firefighting family, with Caeden's maternal grandfather also serving as a firefighter, and his younger brother, Cooper, currently in the fire academy. His own mother has a business offering mental health support to fire crews, often working with the Oakland Fire Department.
Chief Covington - who is flying out to San Diego - said: "We're going to reach out and support our membership, but we're really going to try to reach out and support the Laffan family.
'They've suffered such great loss. It's almost incomprehensible how much loss you can really suffer and still remain standing, so we're going to support them as much as we can."
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