Oregon Public Broadcasting

Around 4000 people attended a memorial service near Medford Friday for the victims of a terrible firefighting accident. 

Seven forest firefighters and a pilot from Southern Oregon died in a helicopter crash earlier this month.  A Forest Service worker based in Redding, CA died as well.

Correspondent Tom Banse has more on the service and the on-going investigation.

Bagpipers played.  Grown men cried.  An honor guard presented flags to surviving family members.

A flyover plane dropped nine streamers to honor the nine men who perished in the helicopter crash on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

Mourner Tom Knappenberger of the U.S. Forest Service in Portland says he was most touched by another tradition.

Tom Knappenberger: “The traditional way to honor fallen firefighters is the ringing of a fire bell.  It’s a series of three sets of five rings.  It represents that the fire is out and it’s time to come home.”

In this case, the bells are answered with silence.

The National Transportation Safety Board continues to search for the cause of the August 5th crash. 

NTSB investigators are currently poring over the engine remnants.  Witnesses said the helicopter lifted off slower than usual before it clipped some trees and went down. 

Heat from the ensuing fire damaged the cockpit voice recorder, but maybe not irretrievably.