Ontario service honors Cal Fire Captain Tim Rodriguez, killed in Cabazon helicopter crash

ONTARIO, Calif. (KABC) -- The first of three memorial services was held Monday for the firefighters who died in a helicopter crash earlier this month while fighting a fire in Cabazon.

The Ontario Convention Center filled with people honoring Fire Captain Tim Rodriguez.

The 19-year veteran with Cal Fire leaves behind a wife and three children.

Rodriguez was 44 years old.

His superiors remembered him as an extraordinary man who led by example.

The others killed in the crash were Assistant Chief Josh Bischof and pilot Tony Sousa.

The memorial service for Bischof will be held Thursday at the Toyota Arena in Ontario.

A private ceremony will be held for Sousa in Gerber, in Northern California, on Friday.