Family, friends pay respects to fallen firefighter

The funeral for Conway firefighter Christopher Gene Ray who was killed Sunday in the line of duty will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Beach Church in Myrtle Beach.

Firefighters from across the state are expected to attend the funeral and participate in the procession to the Buffkin Cemetery.

The cemetery is in the Green Sea community, where Ray had lived with his wife and two children.

The funeral procession will depart from the church on George Bishop Parkway to River Oaks Drive, then onto S.C. 31 by way of International Drive, then continue onto S.C. 22 West to U.S. 701 North, then onto S.C. 410 and Fairbluff Highway leading to the cemetery.

The funeral will be shown live through a simulcast provided by the church, and can be viewed here:

Ray, 42, was killed in what the fire chief described as a “tragic accident” as his truck responded to a house fire just blocks from the Ninth Avenue station.

Ray fell from the back of a fire engine and was then struck as it reversed down a nearby street from the Hickory Circle blaze, where firefighters ran hoses from the closest hydrant to the burning house.

The North Carolina native was also a volunteer with the Horry County Fire Rescue Station 6 and 41, and the family asked that memorials be sent to the South Carolina Firefighters Foundation.

Ray is survived by his mother, Sarah Logan of Florida; Brandi Ray of Green Sea; daughters, Cheyenne Ray of Tabor City, N.C., and Reagan Ray of Green Sea; stepson, Troy Phipps of Green Sea; brothers, Dicky Ray and Davey Ray, both of Tabor City, N.C.; and his paternal grandmother, Bernice Ray of Tabor City, N.C.