RALEIGH, N.C. — Fire truck after fire truck, a line of firefighters escorted the body of one of their own.
A procession was held for a Triad firefighter who recently died in the line of duty.
Lexington Fire Captain Ronnie Metcalf, a veteran firefighter who served with the department for 19 years, will be escorted from Winston-Salem to a funeral home in Thomasville.
The route will begin at 6 p.m., covering parts of Highway 52, Highway 8, and Highway 29.
Alongside fellow firefighters; there were officers, ems workers and even everyday people who showed up to send Metcalf back home.
Captain Metcalf died last week after he was severely hurt in a fire. The fire department said they responded to a building fire. A commander on the scene ordered them to evacuate. When they left, they realized Metcalf was still inside. They found him with burns on more than half of his body. He died several days later.
Governor Roy Cooper also ordered all U.S. and North Carolina flags at state facilities to half-staff beginning immediately until sunset on Tuesday, April 2, in honor of Captain Metcalf.
Governor Roy Cooper has since released a statement following his death, "I was saddened to hear of the tragic passing of Lexington Fire Captain Ronnie Metcalf. He served the Lexington community with honor and distinction for many years, and my prayers and gratitude for his life are with his friends and loved ones at this time."
During Monday's procession for Metcalf, WFMY News 2's Nixon Norman spent time with firefighters from Badin Lake where Metcalf worked for a decade before his time in Lexington.
Metcalf's firefighting career spanned nearly three decades. One of those decades was at the Badin Lake Fire Department, where Darren Flannery currently works. He worked with Metcalf for nine years.
"He actually hired me on at Badin Lake fire department back in 2015," Flannery said. He also said Metcalf was the best mentor he could've asked for.
He said Metcalf taught him a lot about the technicalities of firefighting. That one of Metcalf's passions was training people... and sharing life lessons.
"[He told me] to just enjoy your life and and be with your family because he was a very good father to his kids and all," Flannery said.
The procession went on for miles from the hospital in Winston-Salem where Metcalf was at, to a funeral home in Thomasville, passing lots of houses including Dale Snyder's.
"First responders, they're not in it for the money, they're in it to serve us," Synder said.
As soon as he found out this was all in honor of Metcalf, he knew he had to show his support, "this man gave the ultimate price for the service of his community and we're certainly indebted to him and we appreciate it," Synder said.
Which just goes to show, the same community that Metcalf supported all those years, is the same community showing him support on his way back home.
Later this month, the Denton Fire Department will host a dinner benefit. All proceeds will go to the Metcalf family. Funeral arrangements have not been announced yet.
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