Community mourns loss of father, son, both firefighters

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By Elsa Gillis

CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — A community is mourning the loss of a father and son, both firefighters, in Caldwell County.

Chris Gragg, 53, and Cody Gragg, 23, died in a crash on I-77 Saturday in Chester County.

The flag at Collettsville Fire and Rescue is flying at half-staff in honor of Chris and Cody, who volunteered there. The Collettsville Fire and Rescue also put a picture on their Facebook page showing Chris and Cody's gear on top of the fire truck.

(Collettsville Fire and Rescue Facebook page)

"Everybody knew of them," Terry Cooke said.

Those who didn't know Chris and Cody Gragg teared up at the mention of their deaths.

"They're a pillar of the community," Donna Fillers said.

Channel 9 was told the father and son were on their way to a motocross race in Georgia when a tire blew on their recreational vehicle and they ran off the road, went down an embankment and it caught fire.

Troopers told Channel 9 that both the driver and passenger were pronounced dead at the scene.

Neighbors say the family's shrubbery business is well known in the area, along Cody Gragg's love for racing.

"Everybody knew that the little guy raced and he was really great at it," Fillers said. "I can only imagine what the family is going through."

Collettsville Fire Chief Larry Price worked alongside Chris Gragg, a lieutenant in the department, for years.

"They're like brothers to us all. We're devastated," Price said.

Chief Price said the father and son gave hours of their time to serve their community, often together.

"They were really close all the time," Price said. "They went racing all the time.  When they were here at the Fire Department, Cody was with his dad on calls. You'd see them riding around together, show up together.

"They were fantastic people," Price said. "Cody, he drove hard, he never gave up. Chris, he was a joker, a lighthearted person, wonderful person."

“They were fantastic people all the time,” Price said. “Cody, he drove hard, he never give up. Chris, he was a joker, a lighthearted person, wonderful person."

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