labella
Jeremy Charles LaBella was born into a family of firefighters, and began volunteering with his local fire department as a teenager.
A little more than two months after landing a choice job in the field he loved, LaBella was killed Sunday, becoming the city's first paid firefighter to die while fighting a fire in the department's 104-year history.
"It's the day you always dread," Washington Mayor Ken Westcott said Sunday afternoon, hours after a roof collapsed on the 27-year-old LaBella, killing him and injuring another city firefighter.
LaBella and Engineer George McMullen were among the first off the fire truck after a raging fire was reported about 9:30 a.m. at the former Washington Harley-Davidson cycle shop at 1273-75 Allison Ave.
Flames were shooting from all four corners of the roof of the one-story frame garage owned by Edwin Korby, 87, who had escaped uninjured, city fire Chief Linn Brookman said.
As the fire spread, the garage roof collapsed, forcing a heavy wood canopy covering the sidewalk to fall on LaBella and McMullen, who is in his 30s and lives in Washington.
"We had to cut them out with chain saws," Brookman said.
It took 10 minutes to remove the debris and free the firefighters, Westcott said. It wasn't an easy task because the wood was so old and brittle that it kept breaking when firefighters tried to pull it away, he said.
McMullen, who was the first to be freed, began calling out for LaBella as he was being taken from the scene on an ambulance stretcher.
"Did they find him? Is he OK?" McMullen said.
He was taken to Washington Hospital, where he was treated for smoke inhalation and a knee injury. He was released a few hours later.
LaBella was pronounced dead at the hospital at 11:15 a.m., Washington County Coroner Tim Warco stated in a news release. The cause of LaBella's death was pending further testing, Warco said following the autopsy Sunday night.
An investigation by the state police fire marshal indicated the fire likely was ignited by electric heating tape wrapped around water pipes to keep them from freezing, Brookman said.
The fire spread to the adjoining two-story frame house. With the temperatures hovering around 10 degrees, water mist from the hoses immediately froze, adding to a thick coating of ice on the ground.
Firefighters were further hampered in putting out the blaze because Korby lived like a pack rat, Westcott said.
"It made it difficult moving around inside to put out the fire," Brookman said.
The blaze was brought under control by 12:30 p.m. Firefighters were still on the scene two hours later dousing hot spots. Eventually, heavy equipment was brought in, Westcott said, to push aside Korby's belongings in order to put out the fire.
LaBella was hired by the city in November to work in the department that also employs his uncle, Jeff LaBella. Another uncle, Dave Gump, is chief of neighboring Canton Township Fire Department. LaBella's father, Charles, is president and assistant fire chief in Canton.
LaBella was single and lived with his father and mother, Pam, on Griffith Avenue in Canton.
"His whole family was the fire department," said Ed Dunn, who answered the telephone at the Canton fire station Sunday.
"He's been with us since he was 14 years old," Gump added.
Washington County Department of Public Safety was providing grief counselors for city firefighters and those from Canton to help them deal with the loss, Westcott said.
The only other death in the fire department associated with a call happened in 1955 when James Williams died of a heart attack after returning to the station from a fire at a plumbing business, Westcott said.
LaBella enjoyed hunting and everything dealing with motorcycles and dirt bikes. He was a 1997 graduate of Trinity High School.
City firefighters said they will announce a memorial fund today for the fallen firefighter. Inside the downtown fire station Sunday night, a photograph of LaBella was hanging on the wall, bordered with black drapery.
In anticipation of LaBella's funeral, the city canceled a council planning meeting scheduled this morning and its regular meeting Thursday, Westcott said. A special council meeting tonight will go on as planned, he said.
