<br /> <p>A sombre procession was held to honour fallen Californian fire engineer Cory Iverson on Sunday, December 17, after he died fighting the state’s ongoing wildfires.</p><p>Officers from Murrieta Police Department joined to pay tribute following the death of the 32-year-old from Escondido. This video shows its officers saluting on an overpass across Freeway 15 in Murrieta as a procession passed underneath. The video carried the caption: “Our hearts are heavy as we wish for comfort and healing for Cory’s family, coworkers and all the fire crews working the Thomas Fire, including some of our own.”</p><p>The procession began in Ventura and passed through Los Angeles and Orange counties, KTLA5 reported</a>. Iverson died on December 14 while battling a huge blaze near Fillmore in Ventura County, NBC reported</a>.</p><p>There were new evacuation orders in Santa Barbara County on Saturday, December 16, as the fire looked set to spread to Montecito, the Los Angeles Times reported</a>. About 1,600 residents had been told they must leave their homes, while an additional 34,000 residents remained under a voluntary evacuation order, the newspaper reported. About 8,300 firefighters had been drafted to tackle the fire, the largest mobilization of firefighters to fight a wildfire in California’s history.</p><p>The fire had burned up about 259,000 acres, according to Newsweek</a>, making it the third-largest wildfire in California’s history. Credit: Facebook/Murrieta Police Department via Storyful</p><br />
