TN Fire Chief Dies after Monthlong Battle with COVID-19

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A Tennessee fire chief died Wednesday from COVID-19, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

Rocky Top Fire Chief Ronald "Ronnie" Gene Spitzer had contracted the virus when he and another firefighter responded to a medical call on Dec. 11, the USFA stated in an alert. He died Wednesday surrounded by his wife of 42 years and his two children, according to his obituary.

Spitzer, 65, was a firefighter for more than 47 years, and he had been with the Rocky Top Fire Department since 2015, according to the department.

"Ronnie will be greatly missed by us all, and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and family," the department stated in an online update.