BLAINE, Minn. – A procession carrying home the bodies of Alan John “AJ” Swartz and James Frederick “Jimmy” Shelifoe Jr. began Tuesday morning in Minneapolis and is expected to reach Reid’s Funeral Home in L’Anse later in the day.

Swartz, 25, and Shelifoe, 23, were killed in a single-vehicle truck crash en route to fight the Box Canyon wildfire in Utah. The driver, Michael Allen Johnson, 28, was charged Monday with criminal vehicular homicide.

Traditional native services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday for Shelifoe at KBIC Zeba Hall. The family will greet friends there at 11 a.m. until the time of the service. Burial will be in the Pinery Cemetery. Following interment, friends are invited to join the family for fellowship and a luncheon at the Zeba Hall.

Funeral services for Swartz will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at the KBIC Zeba Hall with Pastor Steve Rhoades officiating. The family will greet friends at the Zeba Hall beforehand beginning at 11 a.m. A luncheon will immediately follow his funeral service.

KBIC government offices closed at noon on Tuesday and will re-open at 8 a.m Friday.

“The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community is devastated and our hearts go out to the families and those injured,” the KBIC said in a Sunday statement. “Much of the details regarding the accident are still unknown and we are working and cooperating with authorities to better understand what occurred.”

In addition to the two deaths, the other seven passengers were injured and sent to Twin Cities hospitals, from which most were released. The KBIC statement said Ross J. Jaukkuri, Michael Al Johnson, Joseph A. Jossens, Gavin C. Loonsfoot, Shashaywin D. Sandman-Shelifoe, Tyler J. Tolonen and David R. Varline are expected to recover.

The tribe is collecting donations to help all the firefighters and their families.

The firefighters have to be ready to go on short notice. Jaukkuri posted on the Beartown fire Facebook page at 9:25 p.m. Friday, “Let’s get moving Beartown. Be at the fire building at 5; leaving at 6.”

Beartown Firefighter Chairman George DeCota posted at 8:06 Saturday, “Beartown en route to Oakley, Utah. Incident name: Box Canyon.”

DeCota could not be reached for comment. He did not answer his phone and his voice mail was full, so no message could be recorded.

In addition, KBIC CEO Larry Denomie did not respond to Gazette requests for comments about the charges.