In the quiet but growing border community of Mission, a flag above Fire Station No. 3’s front desk advertises the community’s historic claim to fame as a citrus-growing powerhouse: “Mission Fire Department: Home of the Grapefruit.”
The small firehouse is kept scrupulously clean except for traces of diesel fumes that have settled on the walls of the parking bay, on lockers full of protective gear, and on door frames leading into living quarters. This station is one of five in this city, where approximately 70 firefighters serve a population of 85,000.
Behind the front desk, there’s a makeshift shrine to Ignacio “Nacho” Cantu, a Mission firefighter who died of cancer at just 36. In the hall, a bulletin board holds photos of other local firefighters, at least seven of whom have been diagnosed with cancer over the past 12 years—including Lieutenant Homer Salinas, who’s currently stationed here.
