A 72-year-old volunteer firefighter died Wednesday morning after he was stricken while firefighters battled a chimney fire at a log cabin home deep in the woods near the Massachusetts border.
The cause of Pascoag fire Lt. Richard Jenks’ death was not known, but Jenks tripped and fell in the log cabin while fighting the fire and then collapsed while standing outside, said Deputy Fire Chief Keith Carter.
Jenks is the first Pascoag firefighter to die in the line of duty in the Fire Department’s 114-year history, Carter said.
He was a 33-year veteran of the department, a veteran of the Air Force and a retired employee of the Pascoag Utility District, Carter said.
Jenks, a retired utility worker, tripped in the home. As a result, the department’s safety officer ordered him to leave the house to get checked out, said Carter. Jenks, Carter said, argued, saying, “I’m all right, I’m all right.”