Texas Fire Chief Loses Life In Structure Blaze

Another tragedy hit Texas Tuesday when a fire chief described as “courageous” lost his life while battling a house fire in the panhandle. While unconnected to the massive wildfires ravaging the area, the loss added to the hard times local communities now face.

Fritch Fire Chief Zeb Smith never left the burning residence he entered in search of anyone in need of assistance. And now the small Texas community of about 1,800 is in mourning.

The call came in at about 7 a.m., and Smith was quickly on the scene. It was roughly 30 minutes later when the rapid response team found his body in the home. 

Authorities believe he may have died of a heart attack while heroically looking for those in need of rescue. 

He had been fighting what are now the largest wildfires in Texas history for the past nine days with what Hutchinson County officials described as “tireless efforts.”

Hutchinson County, which includes the town of Fritch, is the site of the mammoth Smokehouse Creek Fire. This blaze consumed almost 1.1 million acres in just a few days. 

Public information officer Brandon Strope told reporters that the structure fire did not start due to the surrounding wildfires. But he did believe the crisis of the past several days contributed to Smith’s death.

He explained, “I would be remiss if I did not say that Chief Smith, along with every other volunteer firefighter and in his department, has responded for the last nine days actively fighting these fires.”

Strope added, “So I think we all can say with pretty good certainty that it did have a role in today’s unfortunate incident.” 

Alan Wells is the fire chief for the nearby town of Stinnett. He told the news conference that Smith had very little sleep over the previous 10 days trying to fight the rampaging wildfires.

In a Tuesday morning press release, authorities reported that Smith “was the first on the scene, demonstrating his unwavering commitment and service to the Fritch community.”

The release added, “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.”