OAN’s Brooke Mallory
5:46 PM – Wednesday, March 6, 2024
The fire chief of a small Texas Panhandle community in the midst of a major wildfire tragically died in the line of duty Tuesday while responding to a house fire, officials said.
advertisement
Hutchinson County Emergency Management Agency representatives said Fritch Fire Chief Zeb Smith was responding to an incident around 7 a.m. after valiantly rushing inside a home to find someone in need of rescue. It is said that he did not even step out of the burning house.
Officials said Smith quickly arrived at the scene of the fire in the Texas town of about 1,800 people.
Emergency response teams discovered his body inside the home around 7:30 a.m., said Brandon Stroup, a spokesman for the Office of Emergency Management, during a news conference.
“We do not know exactly what happened inside the home or why Mr. Smith was unable to escape in time,” authorities said.
“This structure fire is not directly related to any ongoing wildfires,” Stroup said, referring to wildfires in the state that are currently being reported in the media.
“But I would be remiss if I didn’t say that Chief Smith, along with all the other volunteer firefighters in this county and his department, have been actively responding to these fires for the past nine days.” he continued. “So I think we can all say with a fair amount of confidence that it was indeed involved in today’s unfortunate incident.”
Hutchinson County Judge Cindy Irwin, the county’s chief executive, described Mr. Smith as a brave and dedicated public servant who worked to keep the community safe.
“His dedication to this duty ultimately led to his death,” she said. “Just as we have come together as a community to support each other during this wildfire, we will continue to support Chief Smith’s family.”
Hutchinson County is also the site of the infamous Smokehouse Creek Fire, which began last week and is currently the largest wildfire in state history.
Two people have died in a Panhandle fire, officials said.
Stay informed. Receive breaking news directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
Please share this post!
