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LODD: Ind. firefighter dies after battling barn blaze

Hamilton Township Volunteer Fire Department firefighter Jeffery Blackmer apparently fell ill while cleaning gear after extinguishing the fire

By FireRescue1 Staff

MUNCIE, Ind. — A firefighter died Wednesday after helping battle a barn fire.

The Star Press reported that Hamilton Township Volunteer Fire Department firefighter Jeffery Alan Blackmer, 42, responded to an early morning fire and was last seen alive by colleagues at the station cleaning gear after the blaze was extinguished.

Fire Chief Tim Baty said Blackmer’s body was found after his fiancée alerted his colleagues that he was not answering his cell phone. He was pronounced dead at the station, and Delaware County Coroner Scott Hahn said his death was “cardiac-related.”

Chief Baty said that although Blackmer had only been a member of the department for about a year, he had already put in over 2,000 hours of service.

“He had a heart of gold,” Chief Baty said. “He was dedicated to the community. ... He’s going to be greatly missed.”

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