LODDS

Veteran Houston Fire Captain Dies from COVID-19

July 21, 2020

Houston Fire Capt. Leroy Lucio, who had been with the department for nearly three decades, is the city's first firefighter to die from the deadly virus.

By Julian Gill

Source Houston Chronicle

Editor's note: Find Firehouse.com's complete coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic here.

A Houston Fire Department captain died Monday from COVID-19, according to Chief Sam Peña.

Capt. Leroy Lucio, a 29-year veteran of the department, was battling the virus at a hospital in his hometown of San Antonio. The HFD’s Firefighter Support Network and members of the HFD Honor Guard were with him and his family, according to a news release.

“May he rest in peace,” Peña said on Twitter. “Please keep the Lucio Family in your prayers. (The Houston Fire Department) will provide more information in the days to come.”

Lucio was a captain at Houston Fire Station 103 in the Kingwood area, according to the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association. He is the first firefighter in Houston to die from the virus, the union said, adding that his passing will be classified as a line-of-duty death.

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