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Twin Lakes Wildland Firefighter to be Honored at Michigan Tech Memorial Service

Wildland firefighter Collin Hagen, 27, originally of Twin Lakes, will be honored at a memorial service for close friends and family on Thursday at Michigan Technological University.

Hagan was a firefighter with the federal Craig Interagency Hotshot Crew, which is based in Colorado. He was working on the Big Swamp Wildfire near Oakridge, Oregon on August 10 when he was struck by a falling tree, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Hagan graduated from Painesdale’s Jeffers High School in 2013. He earned an associate’s degree in forest technology from Gogebic Community College, and a bachelor’s degree in forest management from Michigan Technological University.

Before he joined the Craig Hotshot crew, specialized firefighting teams that work in the most rugged conditions, Hagan worked as a field forester and for other firefighting teams in Oregon and Montana. He loved the outdoors, fishing, hockey and skateboarding. Family and friends, according to the DNR, remember Hagan’s easy-going demeanor and sense of humor, as well as a person who thought of others first.

“Watching Collin grow up to become a young man with such a passion for the outdoors, adventure and wildland fire was an honor and privilege,” said Dan Laux, fire section chief in the DNR’s Forest Resources Division. “His life was an inspiration to so many and he will be dearly missed.”

Visitation will be held Thursday and Friday. A private funeral will also be held on Friday.

Michiganders who want to honor Hagan can view the service through live-stream on the National Interagency Fire Center’s Facebook.

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