An Eastland County Sheriff’s deputy, in Texas, died Thursday night while trying to save people who were threatened by forest fires that occurred in central and western areas of the state, authorities reported this Friday.
The woman who was identified as Barbara Fenley, aged 51 years old, He was supporting the evacuation of people due to the fire, and his last report was when he was going to help an elderly person, said the Eastland County Sheriff’s Office.
Given the deterioration Due to fire-affected areas and limited visibility due to smoke, Fenley had to run off the road and died in the flames, the office said, adding that Fenley left behind three children and her husband.
“I just want people to know what a good person I was. She literally always put everyone before herself. She was an Eastland County Sheriff’s deputy; she loved her county and the city of Gorman,” Jon Fenley, one of Barbara’s sons, told NBC 5.
The Eastland Coplex fire is a combination of four fires in the middle of the state, which has left a devastation of 45,380 acres as of late Friday afternoon, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service, which detailed that the fire has been stopped at a % Until now.
For his part, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a disaster declaration Friday night to 11 counties, including Eastland, leaving open the possibility of adding more counties to the list if necessary.