It’s the one call you never want to hear. A firefighter is down.
The Pineville Volunteer Fire Department’s worst fears were confirmed the night of April 29, 2016. One of their own, Richard Sheltra died fighting a fire inside the Edwin Watts Golf shop on Highway 51. He was just 20 years-old and had recently found out he was a finalist for a job with the Charlotte Fire Department.
After an exhaustive investigation, authorities determined Sheltra somehow became disoriented inside the large store and ran out of air.
The blow to his family was unimaginable. Richard was Mike and Linay Sheltra’s youngest child – and their only son.
“We're members of an elite group of people that nobody wants to be members of,” Mike said. “We've lost a son. He was a firefighter, but most importantly he was our son.”