By Sarah Roebuck
FireRescue1
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — A longtime Spartanburg County firefighter died hours after he helped fight a brush fire, WSPA reports.
Robert Earl Brown Sr., 87, was part of a crew working to pull a hose on Jan. 18 at the scene of a brush fire. Brown reportedly started to feel ill and required treatment and transport to the hospital where he later died.
The Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office said it is believed Brown’s death may have been a natural event brought on by the stress of fighting the fire. Brown did not receive any injuries that would have caused his death, the coroner said.
Brown devoted most of his life to the fire service. He held the position of fire chief at the Glendale Fire Department from 1976 to 2017, but his tenure as a firefighter started much earlier. In 2000, he was inducted into the Spartanburg County Fire Chiefs Hall of Fame.
Before Brown retired from chief, his son noted that their family had collectively provided 185 years of volunteer service. He also highlighted that Brown was only the second fire chief in Glendale’s history. Even after retiring as chief, Brown remained committed to serving the community.