Wayne Fire Chief, Captain Return From Surfside Condo Search

WAYNE, NJ — Two members of Wayne Fire Company Number Five have returned home from a stint in Florida, as they worked with New Jersey Task Force One during search and recovery efforts at the site of the condo collapse in Surfside.

Fire Chief Mike Payne and Captain Barry Turner were among those deployed to Florida with New Jersey Task Force One. Payne also serves as a fire captain with the Paterson Fire Department, and is a FEMA/NJTF1 HazMat Specialist, according to officials.

The duo returned home after 17 days at the site in Florida, where 97 deaths have been confirmed after part of the building collapsed in the early morning hours of June 24. Of the 97 dead, 95 have been identified, CNN reports.

"Thank you to them and the entire task force for the amazing work they do in the worst of circumstances," wrote the Wayne fire company.

Pictures from the Paterson Fire Department showed that Payne and the rest of the New Jersey task force visited the memorial site for those who died in the collapse.

"A somber day yesterday for PFD Capt Michael Payne who is deployed to Florida for recovery of those lost to the tragic building collapse. He visited the on-site memorial where they left some pieces to honor those lost and show their commitment to the people of this nation," the department wrote.

In an interview with TapInto, Turner said that both he and Payne were among the first responders to discover and transport the remains of some who died in the collapse.

“It was just overwhelming,” Turner told the publication.

“The sights. The sounds. We were wearing respirators the entire time down there, and it was just…overwhelming.”

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