Durham firefighter killed in line of duty honored with celebration of life this weekend

Family, friends and first responders gathered this weekend to remember the life of Andrew Brokes, a Durham firefighter killed in the line of duty.

The 24-year-old Durham firefighter died in an early-morning fire on Oct. 8 while trying to save the people who lived inside a building on Marly Drive, near South Miami Boulevard. Brokes was assigned to Durham Fire Station 13.

On Monday, Sky 5 flew overhead as a procession carried his body to Burlington.  

A visitation for family and friends happened on Friday at The Lamb's Chapel on Alamance Road in Burlington. A celebration of life will be held Saturday, Oct. 17, at 4 p.m. at The Lamb's Chapel. The public is welcome to attend.

After the service, there was "The Last Ride" to honor Brokes.

Brokes' family is asking people to donate to the North Carolina Fallen Firefighters Foundation or the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in lieu of flowers.

WRAL News learned 14 people were living in the building at the time of the fire, and Brokes was on the first floor searching for anyone who may have stayed inside when the roof collapsed. He died at the scene.

Records show the building is zoned for commercial use, not residential, and people living there told WRAL News there were electrical problems in the building.

Melissa Reyes said her 77-year-old father lived in the building and paid about $500 a month in rent.

WRAL News has requested the building's most recent fire inspection report and reached out to the person in charge of leasing the property with the following questions:

• Why was residential space being rented in a commercially zoned building? 
• How long has the space been rented out to people living there?

The cause of the fire is under investigation.