Firefighters in St. Louis are mourning the loss of one of their own who tragically died Thursday while responding to a vacant house fire.
According to the St. Louis Fire Department, Benjamin Polson was killed after the home roof collapsed on top of him and another firefighter.
According to the news outlet, Polson had been with the department since November 2019.
Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson told the Associated Press that crews responded to the fire around noon in north St. Louis.
Firefighters went into the burning building to check if there were people inside since homeless people typically use vacant homes to keep warm during the winter, the AP reported.
With the blaze on the first floor extinguished, crews decided to check the second floor, but they decided to leave after realizing the fire was too intense.
As Polson and the other firefighter decided to leave the second floor, the roof and upper floor fell on top.
The extent of the injuries of the surviving firefighter is not yet known, the news outlet reported.
