A longtime West Milford Volunteer Fire Company #6 firefighter died while performing maintenance at the fire station Sunday.
Alfred A. Stewart, 79, stayed at the station for maintenance duties while crews left for a company drill.
When firefighters returned to the station just before 11 a.m. they found Stewart entangled in a fallen ladder, according to a statement from the U.S. Fire Administration.
Lifesaving measures were initiated, but Steward was pronounced dead soon after.
An autopsy is pending to determine the official cause of Stewart's death.
Stewart served with West Milford Volunteer Fire Company #6 for 52 years. He was an ex-chief, an active fire inspector and former deputy fire commissioner.
"Dedicating over half a century of service to the West Milford Fire Department, he touched countless lives and inspired the minds of many upcoming firefighters," the fire company posted on their Facebook page. "Freddy's legacy will live among all of us. We've got it from here Fred."
