A Texas fire chief whose small town was among the hardest hit last week by historic blazes sweeping across the Panhandle died Tuesday while fighting a house fire, authorities said.
The house fire that Fritch Fire Chief Zeb Smith, 40, responded to wasn’t caused by a wildfire, but Mr. Smith had been battling the wildfires for over a week, said Brandon Strope, spokesperson for the Hutchinson County Office for Emergency Management. Mr. Strope said that after Mr. Smith, who was first to arrive, entered the home to check on any occupants, he did not exit. Other firefighters found him and EMS began medical treatment, but he died at the hospital.
