Rene Penaloza was always a fighter. As a firefighter for Contra Costa County, he battled blazes to keep residents safe, and when he contracted cancer from breathing toxic fumes at fires, he fought the disease to a standstill so he could be there for his daughter’s ninth birthday.
On Saturday, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District held its annual event honoring Penaloza and the district’s 17 other firefighters who gave their lives in the line of duty. The event, held at the Con Fire Training and Safety Division on Treat Boulevard in Concord, also honored the firefighters who died on Sept. 11, 2001.
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