A Shawnee firefighter has died at an area hospital from injuries he suffered while fighting a large house fire Saturday night.
At a news conference on Sunday afternoon, the Shawnee Fire Department said John Glaser, 33, was a six-year veteran who leaves behind a wife and two young children. The department said the family has requested privacy. The department said Glaser was “a nice guy, a good friend and a great dad,” who spoke often about his children. It said Glaser was the first Shawnee firefighter to die in the line of duty.
Picture from Kansas City Star. Click the image for the paper's coverage of the tragic fire.
The fire was reported by automatic alarm at 8:55 p.m. Saturday at 13408 W. 75th Court, according to fire officials. When firefighters arrived, they found the home burning out of control. Neighbors told firefighters they thought two people and a dog were inside.
Firefighters began attacking the fire and searching the home.
As they were searching the home at 9:12 p.m., a mayday call went out because a firefighter was missing, according to the news release. Several firefighters searched the home and found the 33-year-old man unresponsive at the rear of the home.
A resident told KMBC that the firefighter fell. The firefighter was not breathing and in cardiac arrest when he was rushed by ambulance to a hospital, Johnson County Med-Act officials told KMBC.
Fire crews were also told there were possibly two people and a dog inside the home. About 15 minutes into the fire, a firefighter called out for help. That’s when the search began for a missing firefighter that was inside the residence. He was found unresponsive near the back of the home. Paramedics transported the fallen fighter to an area hospital where he later died.
The 33-year-old firefighter was a six year veteran of the Shawnee fire Department. He is survived by a wife and two children.
