HEATHER CASEY
Firehouse.com News
Texas firefighter Scott Harshbarger died at the scene of a structure fire
Sunday morning when the roof he was ventilating collapsed beneath him.
Harshbarger, of the Scenic Loop Volunteer Fire Department, drove a pumper to
the 10:10 a.m. incident.
“The structure was filled with tremendous amounts of smoke and heat,” said
Chief Donald Marlow.
After two firefighters went inside, Harshbarger and another firefighter went
to ventilate the roof.
“The roof collapsed and he fell into the fire,” Marlow said. “There was a
lot of hollering and screaming. Other firefighters tried to reach down and
get him, but the flames were so bad there was nothing they could do.”
“After everything happened, they made another interior attack, and he was
pronounced dead on the scene,” Marlow said.
Harshbarger, who just turned 36 on Saturday, is survived by his wife, two
children and another child due in three months.
He had been with the department since August 1999 and previously had a year
of service at another fire department. He worked in the field of computer
technology and was self-employed.
Harshbarger also served as the fire department’s secretary, the web site
manager, and a dispatcher.
“He was real active,” Marlow said. “He was an outstanding person and
outgoing. He made every call he possibly could, and was normally the first
one en route.”
The Scenic Loop Volunteer Fire Department has 28 members.
Funeral information is not yet available.
A memorial fund has been set up for the family at:
- The Scott Harshbarger Memorial Fund
Account number 598 615
First State Bank of Livingston
P.O. Box 1277
Livingston, Texas 77351
Contact: Theresa Tholson
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