Fremont County (WY) Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Clarence “Speed” Hartbank, 79, has passed away after succumbing to injuries he sustained in a fire, according to a post on the department’s Web site.
Chief Craig Haslam posted that on January 13, Hartbank succumbed to the injuries that he received while fighting a fire on September 10, 2015.
According to The Secret List, Hartbank fell through the ceiling of a bunker while fighting a grass and structure fire in rural Fremont County, near Lander, Wyoming. He suffered second and third degree burns over 38 percent of his body, seven broken ribs, and a punctured lung.
The U.S. Fire Administration reported that he had 45 years of service.
