A memorial procession was held Friday night for a fallen firefighter who died in an explosion while fighting a vehicle fire in Palmdale. 

On Friday night, a procession was held for Los Angeles County firefighter Andrew Pontious, who was killed in a vehicle explosion while battling a fire near Palmdale. 

“My deepest condolences to his family and the other firefighters at Station 93. Its a sobering reminder of the dangers our first responders face everyday. We owe them our steadfast support as they grapple with this loss,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger in a tweet. 

Courtesy of LACoFD

 The procession passed southward on the 14 Freeway from Lancaster to the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office, with emergency responders standing in Pontious’ honor at nearly every overpass.

Patrol vehicles from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles County Fire Department escorted Pontious’ body for the over 50-mile journey to downtown L.A.

Pontious was a 19-year veteran of the department assigned to the Palmdale area on a four-person engine. He left behind a wife and child, according to officials. 

The incident occured at the cement quarry near the 6500 block of East Avenue T in Littlerock around 2 p.m. Friday, according to a KTLA article. 

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

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