Volunteer Kentucky firefighter dies of heart attack while working structure fire
A firefighter with a volunteer fire department in Kentucky died Wednesday while assisting another fire department with a structure fire.
Darrell Helton, 49, was a firefighter with the Belfry Volunteer Fire Department. He died of a heart attack while shuttling water to a structure fire, according to an incident report from Supporting Heroes, a nonprofit organization that supports the families of fallen first responders.
“Please keep the Helton family as well as our fire department in your thoughts and prayers in the days ahead,” the Belfry Volunteer Fire Department said in a Facebook post.
While assisting with the structure fire, Helton told another firefighter he felt a fluttering in his chest, according to an incident report on Supporting Heroes. After delivering the last load of water, Helton collapsed to the ground.
Helton was transported to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead after CPR attempts were unsuccessful, according to the incident report.
This story was originally published September 6, 2024 at 1:24 PM.
