Minn. FDs mourn captain whose death may be state’s 1st in line of duty since pandemic’s start

By Leila Merrill

UPSALA, Minn. — Members of fire departments throughout Minnesota gathered on Dec. 18 to mourn the loss of Upsala Fire Captain Brian Lange, WCCO reported.

Lange, 55, had served with the department for 23 years and died on Dec. 11 from complications due to COVID-19. His death is reported to be the first line of duty death of a firefighter in the state since the pandemic’s onset.

Lange is survived by his wife and other family members.

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“[He was] very hardworking,” said Upsala Fire Chief Jay Baggenstoss. “Very dedicated to his family and his community, and an all-around fun guy to be around. He made the job fun.”

Fire departments led a procession to a cemetery.

“Today, all of Minnesota’s 20,000 firefighters are grieving his loss and realizing it could have been any one of us any day,” said Jay Wood of the Minnesota Fire Service Foundation. “All of us think about that, and that’s the risk of the job every day.”

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