'I knew deep inside it was him': Father of fallen Porterville firefighter remembers son

PORTERVILLE, Calif. -- The father of a fallen Porterville firefighter is speaking out, remembering his son, just days after Captain Ray Figueroa was killed in the line of duty.

He and Firefighter Patrick Jones died Tuesday trying to save lives while battling the massive blaze inside the Porterville library.

"Knowing my son's character, I knew deep inside it was probably going to end up being him," says Ramon Figueroa.

RELATED: Porterville firefighters died trying to save others inside burning library

Captain Figueroa's father says his son cared deeply for his fellow brothers and sisters, even signing up for extra training to take care of them and the community the best he could.

"His whole philosophy was that he would never leave a fellow firefighter behind," the father says.

The love was returned by the community, as a growing memorial of candles and flowers sits close to the site in honor of the two fallen heroes.

The colorful, heartfelt display is a stark contrast to the chain link fence that now wraps around the devastating site of the fire.

A motorcade escorted the body of the 25-year-old Jones to Tulare County hours after he was found inside the charred Porterville City library.

Agencies from across the state, and a K9 unit from the Los Angeles County fire department helped in finding the firefighter who was missing during the intense battle on Tuesday.

Half a dozen firefighters from the city of Clovis are helping Porterville firefighters with coverage while they take time off to mourn.

"The fire service in the South Valley is very tight knit. It's a small community. We all know each other. It's felt deeply by all agencies," said Clovis City Fire Battalion Chief Jim Damico.

It's a community in mourning.

Figueroa's father is heartbroken, yet proud of the firefighter who gave all in service.

"It still hurts inside. What helps is the pride, you know that he left us with," he says.