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Texas fire chief who spent 9 days fighting historic wildfires dies responding to early morning structure fire
The volunteer fire chief of Fritch, Texas, a Panhandle city among the hardest hit in the state’s deadly historic wildfires, died on Tuesday after responding to a structure fire unrelated to the wildfires.
Hutchinson County officials announced Zeb Smith’s death, saying it came after his “tireless efforts over the past week.”
“Chief Smith, a dedicated public servant, was the first on the scene, demonstrating his unwavering commitment and service to the Fritch community,” Hutchinson County officials said in a press release on Tuesday morning. “During the response, Chief Smith faced unforeseen challenges and, despite emergency medical assistance and quick transportation to Golden Plains Community Hospital, tragically succumbed to his injuries.”
Hutchinson County, which includes the town of Fritch, is where the Smokehouse Creek Fire ignited, growing to nearly 1.1 million acres in just a few days.
In a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, officials said that Smith had responded to a reported structure fire at a residence around 7 a.m. local time that day.
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“Chief Smith arrived on scene. He entered the residence of the shelter to identify if there was anyone inside who needed to be rescued,” public information officer Brandon Strope said. “Chief Smith did not exit that residence.”
Other responders found the chief at 7:30 a.m. and began medical treatment. Officials said he was rushed to a community hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of his death.
“This structure fire was not directly related to the ongoing wildfires. It did not start as a cause of those wildfires,” Strope clarified, adding, “However, I would be remiss if I did not say that Chief Smith, along with every other volunteer firefighter in this county and in his department, has responded for the last nine days actively fighting these fires. So I think we all can say with pretty good certainty that it did have a role in today’s unfortunate incident.”
Alan Wells, fire chief of Stinnett, another city in the county, noted at the news conference that Smith had not gotten much sleep while continuously fighting wildfires for nearly 10 days.
The handful of Texas Panhandle wildfires have burned nearly 1.25 million acres in just over a week, which is nearly the same amount of land that was burned by thousands of fires across the entire state from 2017 to 2021.
Hutchinson County Judge Cindy Irwin said at the press conference that it was Smith’s “dedication to his duty that ultimately led to his death.”
“I’m extremely proud of the work that our local firefighters have done,” Irwin said, adding that “Chief Smith led a fire department that prioritizes safety for its citizens. … We’ll continue to support the family of Chief Smith.”
Fritch Mayor Tom Ray said that Smith joined the city’s fire department in 2017 and rose to the rank of chief in 2020. He had two sons – the youngest is just 9 years old.
“He was one of my kids,” Ray said about Smith through tears.
Plans for a memorial service will be announced at a later time, officials aid.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
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Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.