One firefighter is dead and another missing in a fire at a public library in Porterville, California, according to news reports.
According to the local FOX station, dozens of firefighters from multiple agencies responded to the fire yesterday at around 4 p.m.
Per the Porterville Fire Department Facebook page, the firefighter killed in the fire was identified as Captain Raymond Figueroa, 35. Firefighter Patrick Jones, 25, was still unaccounted for as of this writing. ABC 7 writes that two teenagers have been arrested for arson in the case.
FirefighterNation: California Firefighter Killed, Another Unaccounted for in Blaze
“We’re working through suppression, and when it’s safe to operate, we will get back in the building and hopefully find that firefighter in very short order,” Tulare County Fire Chief Charlie Norman told reporters.
According to the Los Angeles Times, fire officials have not said whether patrons or staff were inside the library when the fire occurred, and the fire is under investigation. The report also noted a significant fuel load potential inside libraries.
The Fresno Bee reports that two firefighters have died in the fire.
