(TheDailyHorn.com) – Firefighters perform some of the most dangerous work in America. They often expose themselves to great peril while protecting lives and property.
On Wednesday, August 11, Fire Capt. Josh Laird spoke his last known words over his portable radio. The veteran firefighter fell through a damaged section of the floor into the basement of a burning house. Knowing the odds were against his survival, Laird calmly asked his fellow firefighters to “tell my family I love them.”
"Tell my family I love them."
Frederick County Fire Rescue Captain Joshua Laird calmly uttered the heartbreaking message on his portable radio while trapped in the basement of a home that was engulfed in flames and smoke.https://t.co/DrbNlWfSjm
— 7News DC (@7NewsDC) August 12, 2021
Lightning likely triggered this house fire as a line of storms hit the Frederick, Maryland, area on Wednesday afternoon. The 5,300 square foot home in which this tragedy occurred was located in the country, far away from fire hydrants. Frederick County Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Steven Leatherman shared that Laird entered the burning home through the front door. Not long after, he fell through the ground floor in a room damaged by the fire and the blaze trapped him in the basement.
Medevac airlifted Captain Laird to MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC, where he died from his injuries. On Thursday evening, a procession of first responders saluted Laird for his service, and flowers were placed outside the Captain’s fire station to memorialize his life and service.
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