Firefighters recall the light they found in Hackleburg

When Hackleburg took a direct hit by an EF-5 tornado during the Wednesday, April 27, 2011, super tornado outbreak, people from around the nation found ways to help. According to Hackleburg Fire Chief Steve Hood, two fire departments in particular--one from Mississippi’s Gulf Coast and another from a suburb of Pittsburg, Penn.-- provided exemplary aide. Yesterday (Tuesday, April 27), marked 10 years since the disaster, which left 25 dead across Marion County. In interviews with the Journal Record, however, one would think it was a recent event with how two out-of-state firefighters were able to recall stories and memories of the contributions in the town in the following days and weeks. Chris Critzer was serving with Pass Christian Fire Department in Mississippi when the disaster struck Hackleburg and was part of a the department’s relief team, which ended up providing support services in the town for multiple weeks.