Procession honors pilot who died battling Kruger Rock Fire near Estes Park
FORT MORGAN, Colo. (KRDO) -- A procession was held Monday for the CO Fire Aviation Pilot who died while fighting the Kruger Rock Fire near Estes Park.
Pilot Marc "Thor" Olson died when his single engine-air tank crashed while battling the Kruger Rock Fire on Nov. 16. Olson was a 32-year military veteran who served in the Army and the Air Force.
According to our Denver news partners, the flight was the first time a fixed-wing air tanker, with the use of night-vision goggles, embarked on a voyage of nighttime fire suppression efforts.
9News reports the Fort Morgan Police Department, Morgan County Sheriff's Office, Brush Police Department, Colorado State Patrol, Morgan County Ambulance Service, Morgan County 911, Wiggins Fire Department, Fort Morgan Fire Department, Brush Fire Department, and the Hillrose-Snyder Fire Department helped escort Olson's body to Heer Mortuary in Fort Morgan.
The procession began at 10 a.m. at the Larimer County Coroner's Office in Fort Collins. From there:
- The route continued east on Prospect to I-25 to Hwy 34, merged onto I-76 to exit 75 (I-76 business loop/ Platte Ave) into Fort Morgan.
- The procession concluded at Heer Funeral Home in Fort Morgan.
According to 9News reporter Marc Sallinger, an air tanker, like the one Olson was flying, flew over the Larimer County Coroner's Office as his casket was loaded into the hearse. The pilot flying the air tanker was with Olson when he took off from the airport Tuesday.
An air tanker like the one Thor was flying flew over the Coroner’s Office as his casket was being loaded into the hearse
— Marc Sallinger (@MarcSallinger) November 22, 2021
Pilot flying the plane today was with Thor when he took off from the airport Tuesday and was one of the last people who spoke with him before the crash #9News pic.twitter.com/j6TVSrru9y
According to the Colorado Local Assistance State Team, there will not be a memorial service in Colorado. The Olson family is having a funeral in Texas.
