Firefighter who died in the line of duty gets a hero's send

Ruben Gonzales Romero is on his way back to his family.

A procession was held in Whitehall Monday for the fallen firefighter organized by K&L Mortuaries, TJ Forestry and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

Firefighting crews, emergency vehicles and first responders lined the streets and Interstate 90 overpasses, rendering a salute as the procession passed through en route to Riplinger Funeral Home in Spokane, Washington.

Romero’s body will rest overnight at Riplinger with an honor watch provided by his fellow crew members. On Tuesday, his body will depart the funeral home with a more intimate procession provided by those crew members to Mexico, where he will be received by his family.

“The wildland firefighting community deeply appreciates Firefighter Romero's 20 years of dedi