Khodayari’s death has made her the face of a social media campaign pressuring authorities to officially end their long-running ban on females entering stadiums. To many, the young woman has also become a symbol of the Islamic Republic’s restrictive laws governing women. Using the hashtag تا_نیاد_نمیرم#, which means “until she comes I won’t go,” Iranians have flooded social networking sites with messages of outrage, heartache and despair.

It’s unclear how many female firefighters are on the front lines, but with more than 8,000 firefighters battling the blaze at its peak, many include women, who face the same challenges as their male colleagues and one major addition — navigating the heat and treacherous terrain in gear made for men.