A Fireman’s Final Call— Indiana VFD Member Dies Fighting Morning Blaze

Every firefighter knows the next alarm may be his or her last. Troy volunteer fireman Jim Smith answered his Saturday, laying down his life in service to his department and community while battling an early-morning blaze. Both mourned his death this week.

Smith, 62, collapsed at the scene of the 3:27 a.m. fire and was rushed to Perry County Memorial Hospital by paramedics, who automatically respond to fires. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, Perry County Coroner Darrel Riley said. An autopsy conducted Sunday showed Smith died of a heart attack caused by a blood clot in one of his coronary arteries, Riley explained.

The cause of the blaze, which was contained to the front of a mobile home located at 630 Harrison St., was attributed to careless smoking, said Pam Bright, a spokeswoman for the Indiana Fire Marshal