U.S. Fire Administration

The U.S. Fire Administration has announced the official line of duty death of Lieutenant Donnie Caldwell, 74, of the Ghent Area Volunteer Fire Department, on May 13, 2010.

Lieutenant Caldwell, one of the firefighters injured in the 2007 Little General Store explosion in Ghent, West Virginia, has passed away from complications related to the injuries he sustained in the blast.

The propane explosion killed two other firefighters at the incident scene, Captain Fred Burroughs, and Firefighter-EMT Craig Dorsey. Two propane service technicians were also killed and five other people were injured. The explosion leveled the store, destroyed a responding ambulance, and damaged other nearby vehicles.

A report from the investigation of the fatal incident conducted by the United States Chemical Safety Board can be found at: http://www.csb.gov/assets/document/CSBFinalReportLittleGeneral.pdf.

Funeral Arrangements:
Blue Ridge Funeral Home Chapel, 05/17/2010 @ 1300hrs.

Memorial Fund Contact and Address:
In honor of Lieutenant Donnie Caldwell, c/o Ghent Area Volunteer Fire Department, PO Box 99, Ghent, WV 25843.

Tribute is being paid to Lieutenant Donnie Caldwell at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/

To date, 28 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2010; 26 from incidents that occurred in 2010 and 2 from previous year incidents. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/statistics/ff_stats....