A Whispering Pines firefighter has died after falling ill on the job on Christmas Day.
Lt. Reid Key was assisting with efforts to extinguish a fire in Carthage when he began complaining of a headache. The 31-year-old was taken to FirstHealth Regional Moore Hospital for treatment, according to Chief Rich Lambdin of the Whispering Pines Fire Department.
A CAT scan revealed that Key was suffering from a previously undiagnosed brain tumor. His condition grew “progressively worse,” Lambdin said, and he was airlifted to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, where he died Tuesday.
Lambdin described Key, who began volunteering at the station in 2012, as a dedicated firefighter.
“He was one of the most reliable and responsible volunteer personnel that we had,” Lambdin said. “If the pager went off, he was coming.”