PA Firefighter Dies after Falling Ill During Farm Fire
By Rick Dandes
Source The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
Feb. 22—BEAVERTOWN, PA — A firefighter with the Beavertown Rescue Hose Company has died as the result of a medical issue that occurred while working at a chicken coop fire Saturday night at 589 Pathemer Rd. in West Beaver Township, Snyder County, said Snyder County EMA Director Derick Shambach.
Craig Ginter, 57, of Beavertown, was stricken while helping pump water at a fill site during the blaze. He was identified Sunday evening by members of his fire department, the Rescue Hose Company in Beavertown, after they met with his family.
A spokesman for the Rescue Hose Company, who was at the fire station at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, confirmed that Ginter suffered cardiac arrest at the scene. Fire units and personnel from Mifflin, Union, and Juniata counties responded to the four-alarm fire late Saturday night into Sunday morning.
The first call was about 10:30 p.m., and fire personnel did not leave the scene until 4 a.m. Sunday, according to a dispatcher at Central Susquehanna Regional 911 Center.
On the Beavertown Rescue Hose Company's Facebook page, there was a posting to the public. It read: "We want to express our deepest sympathy to the family of our firefighter who passed away early this morning while on a fill-site detail in West Beaver Township. We want to thank everyone for their support to us through the last few weeks and throughout the next few. We will not release any further information on this social media page at this time. Thank you for your understanding."
Another statement from the fire company indicated that Ginter was not directly at the scene of the blaze when the medical incident occurred. A fill site is a designated area near a fire where tankers are filled with water.
Ginter was transported to Geisinger Lewistown, Mifflin County, where he was pronounced dead.
An estimated 1,400 chickens died in the fire, according to the fire department officials. The cause of the blaze has not yet been determined.
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