Convoy brings home California firefighter killed by tree

RED BLUFF, Calif. (AP) — A contract wildland firefighter who was killed by a falling tree in California last week has been brought home by a convoy of fellow firefighters. The convoy escorted the body of 26-year-old Darin Banks on a long journey Thursday from Modesto to a mortuary in Red Bluff, where he lived. Firefighters from local agencies saluted along the 200-mile route. Banks worked for Firestorm Wildland Fire Suppression Inc. The company says he was struck by a dead tree that unexpectedly fell while assigned to a hand crew preparing an area for a prescribed burn in Tuolumne County on May 6. He is survived by a 4-year-old son, his mother and other relatives.