Admired fire battalion chief dies of cancer at 35

AVAILABLE ON HULU AND THE WRAL

APP ON YOUR TV OR STREAMING

DEVICE. HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE CAME

TOGETHER TODAY.

>> TO HONOR A FAYETTEVILLE

FIREFIGHTER WHO LOST HIS BATTLE

WITH COLON CANCER BATTALION

CHIEF JOHN BOWEN PASSED AWAY

THIS WEEKEND AFTER 6 MONTHS

FOLLOWING HIS DIAGNOSIS FOR

FIREFIGHTERS. THE THREAT OF

CANCER IS OFTEN MORE DANGEROUS

THAN THE FLAMES. WRAL'S BRYAN

MIMS ATTENDED THE FUNERAL IN IS

LIVE NOW FOR US IN FAYETTEVILLE

AND BRIAN, WHAT A POIGNANT

REMEMBERS TODAY.

>> IT CERTAINLY WAS A BEAUTIFUL

CEREMONY IN RIGHT NOW. I'M

STANDING AT STATION ONE WERE

BLACK DRAPING HANGS ON THE

FRONT DOOR. THOSE WHO WORK WITH

BATTALION AND SAY HE MADE SUCH

AN IMPRESSION ON NEEDED SO MUCH

FROM HELPING DELIVER NEWBORN

BABIES TO WORKING ON THE

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TEAM.

YES, HE KNEW THE DANGERS OF

THE JOB, BUT HE ALSO KNEW HE'S

CALLING.

>> TO SEE ALL THE FIREFIGHTERS,

HUNDREDS OF THEM. YOU JUST KNOW

THE SEA, ALL THE FIRE TRUCKS,

THE FLAG DRAPED COFFIN BEFORE A

LINE OF SALUTES TO SEE THE

GIANT FLAG SUSPENDED OVER A

HIGHWAY. AND YOU JUST KNOW TO

HEAR THE WORDS OF A CHILDHOOD

BUDDY. HE'S A GENERATIONAL KIND

OF GOT

>> AND YOU JUST THERE'S NOT

MANY PEOPLE. MAYBE THE SAME

METAL AS JOHN DOE WAS TO HEAR

AND SEE ALL THIS. YOU KNOW,

JOHN BOWEN WAS A GOOD AND

WELL-LOVED MAN.

>> HE AND THAT BUDDY SCOTT

COLLIER JOINED THE FIRE

DEPARTMENT AS VOLUNTEERS WHEN

THEY WERE ONLY 16 35 YEARS OLD.

HE DID MORE IN A IN 35 YEARS IN

SOME OF THOSE DO IN A LIFETIME

ON THE FAYETTEVILLE FIRE

DEPARTMENT, HE BECAME A

LIEUTENANT TO CAPTAIN A

BATTALION CHIEF TO HEAR THOSE

TITLES. YOU JUST KNOW IT.

STOP AT NOTHING TO STOP A FIRE

TO SAVE A LIFE. BUT IN OCTOBER,

HE FACE THE FIGHT OF HIS OWN

LIFE. COLON CANCER. WE DON'T

KNOW FOR CERTAIN WHETHER THE

JOB WITH ALL THE HAZARDOUS

MATERIALS AT FIRE SCENES CALLS

THE CANCER, BUT FRIENDS AND

LOVED ONES HAVE LITTLE DOUBT.

>> I ABSOLUTELY THINK IT COULD

HAVE BEEN A MAJOR THERE WAS NO

HISTORY. HE HAD NO FAMILY

HISTORY OF IT. IT WAS JUST

SOMETHING IT OCCURRED VERY

RAPIDLY VERY SUDDEN. AND I CAN

TELL YOU HE IS. HE'S BEEN IN

MANY OF TOXIC ENVIRONMENTS.

WRAL HAS EXTENSIVELY

INVESTIGATED THE CANCER DANGERS

POSED TO THE PROFESSION IN

2018. WE PROFILED SEVERAL LOCAL

FIREFIGHTERS WHO WERE

DIAGNOSED.

>> BUT IN THE THICK OF THE

CANCER FIGHT, CHIEF BOWENS

UNCLE SAYS YOU JUST KNEW HIS

FAITH IN GOD AND HIS LOVE FOR

OTHERS NEVER WAVERED. HE WAS

ALWAYS WORRIED ABOUT SOMEONE

ELSE AND ALWAYS CONCERNED ABOUT

WHAT SOMEBODY ELSE IS FAILING

AND NOT TO FEEL SORRY FOR HIM.

HE WAS.

>> IT WAS THAT KIND OF FELL AND

>> BATTALION CHIEF BOLAND WAS

AMONG AT LEAST 6 FAYETTEVILLE

FIREFIGHTERS WHO HAVE DIED OF

CANCER SINCE 2007. HIS COMRADES

SAY CHIEF BONE WAS PASSIONATE

ABOUT ALERTING YOUNG

FIREFIGHTERS TO THE DANGERS OF

CANCER AND KEEPING THEM AS SAFE

AS POSSIBLE. YOU CAN CHECK OUT

OUR INVESTIGATION ON OUR

WEBSITE, WRAL DOT COM DAY.

JUST ANOTHER REASON TO HAVE