AUSTRALIA — A firefighter was killed and another was injured fighting a hotel fire Sunday morning.
ABC Australia reported that firefighter Daniel Howard, 37, was killed after a wall collapsed on him and a fellow firefighter at the Cobar New Occidental Hotel.
He suffered a suspected cardiac arrest, according to the report. The second firefighter is being treated for a broken arm.
“As a member of Fire and Rescue NSW, this man selflessly dedicated his life to the safety of his community,” NSW Minister for Emergency Services Stuart Ayres said.
Ten people escaped from the hotel and none were reported injured, according to the report.
“He was also well-known for his generosity in mountainous amounts towards so many different things and so many different people,” Darran Wells, a friend of firefighter Howard’s, said. “If he could help out, he would. He never said no to helping.”
Firefighter Howard leaves behind a fiancé and a 3-year-old stepson.