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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.
City of Borger/Hutchinson County OEM via Facebook
“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.
CBS News
Floods, landslides struck parts of Bosnia as residents slept, leaving at least 16 dead and several missing
A severe rainstorm struck Bosnia overnight Friday, killing at least 16 people in floods and landslides in several towns and villages in central and southern parts of the country, with surging waters rushing into people’s homes as they were sleeping.
Rescue services in the south said several people were missing and called on volunteers and the army to assist as roads were closed and houses left without electricity.
Josip Kalem, a resident of Fojnica, one of the towns hit by the floods, said his dog’s barking woke him up at around 4 a.m. When he came out on the terrace, he saw the water rising rapidly.
“I came down, woke up my wife, and we looked around, we could not get out of the house. We saw more and more water coming in,” he said. “All of a sudden, the water was flooding the garage, basement, my car — everything. The water swept it all away, including my dog. Flood took it downstream.”
Andja Milesic, another resident of Fojnica, also said she was caught by surprise in the middle of the night.
“When I woke up, my bedroom floor was already soaked. I walked into the hallway — water was everywhere — the living room, everywhere,” she said. “It was horrible.”
Armin Durgut / AP
Darko Juka, a spokesman for the local administration, said at least 14 people had died in and around the southern town of Jablanica. Officials later said two more bodies have been found.
“Those are the ones who have been discovered by rescuers,” he said. “We still don’t know the final death toll.”
“I don’t remember such a crisis since the war,” Juka said referring to the 1992-95 war in Bosnia that left the country in ruins. “The scale of this chaotic situation is harrowing.”
Defense Minister Zukan Helez told N1 regional television that troops have been engaged to help and that the casualties were reported.
Helez said that “hour after hour we are receiving news about new victims. … Our first priority is to save the people who are alive and buried in houses where the landslides are.”
A pregnant woman lost her baby after she was rescued from the floods and transferred to a hospital in the regional center of Mostar. Authorities said doctors were fighting for her life as well. Separately, a child was successfully rescued and hospitalized, local officials said.
Rescue services in the towns of Jablanica and Kiseljak said the power was off overnight and mobile phones lost their signal.
The Jablanica fire station said that the town was completely inaccessible because roads and trainlines were closed.
“The police informed us that the railroad is also blocked,” the state rescue service said in a statement. “You can’t get in or out of Jablanica at the moment. Landline phones are working, but mobile phones have no signal.”
It urged people not to venture out on the flooded streets.
Human-caused climate change increases the intensity of rainfall because warm air holds more moisture. This summer, the Balkans were also hit by long-lasting record temperatures, causing a drought. Scientists said the dried-out land has hampered the absorption of floodwaters.
Armin Durgut / AP
Drone footage broadcast on Bosnian media showed villages and towns completely submerged under water, while videos on social networks showed dramatic scenes of muddy torrents and damaged roads.
One of the busiest roads linking Sarajevo with the Adriatic coast via Jablanica was swept into a river, together with a railway line in a huge landslide, according to photos.
“Many people are endangered because of big waters and landslides. There is information about victims and many injured and missing persons,” said the civic protection service.
Authorities urged people to stay on the upper floors of their homes. Reports said surging waters swept away domestic animals and cars as the water swiftly filled up lower floors of buildings.
The heavy rains and strong winds were also reported in neighboring Croatia, where several roads were closed and the capital of Zagreb prepared for the swollen Sava River to burst its banks.
Heavy winds have hampered traffic along the southern coast of the Adriatic Sea, and flash floods caused by heavy rain threatened several towns and villages in Croatia.
Floods caused by torrential rains were also reported in Montenegro, south of Bosnia, where some villages were cut off and roads and homes flooded.
In 2014, floodwaters triggered more than 3,000 landslides across the Balkans, laying waste to entire towns and villages and disturbing land mines leftover from the region’s 1990s war, along with warning signs that marked the unexploded weapons.
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