SHOW LOW, Ariz. — A tight-knit mountain town is grieving after two young Timber Mesa Fire and Medical firefighters were killed in a head-on crash while returning from a call in Phoenix.

Authorities said the firefighters had just dropped off a patient in the Valley on Sunday night and were driving eastbound on Highway 260 when another vehicle crossed the center line and collided with them. The driver of the other vehicle and both firefighters died at the scene.

The victims have been identified as Brenna Kulikowski, 31, and Damon Thompson, 21. Kulikowski, a three-year veteran of the department, was the mother of a 10-year-old daughter. Thompson had been with Timber Mesa for less than a year. The identity of the other driver has not yet been released.

“It’s sadness in the air for a lot of

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