Name | Gene Anderson |
Agency | Danville Fire Department |
Rank | Lieutenant |
Type of Firefighter | Career |
Age Range | 46 to 50 |
Sex | Male |
Date of Birth | 2/19/1927 |
Date of Death | 8/11/1976 |
Cause of Death | Stress/Overexertion |
Nature of Death | Heart attack |
Attribute of Death | [not applicable] |
Type of Duty | Firefighting operations |
Incident Name | N/A |
Incident City | Danville |
Incident State | IL |
Incident Date | 8/11/1976 |
Incident Location | Residential |
Incident Attribute | Fires |
On August 11, 1976, Lieutenant Gene “Andy” Anderson of the Danville Fire Department died in the line of duty while fighting a residential fire at the northwest corner of North Vermilion and Voorhees Streets.
Anderson responded to the fire in command of firefighters from Station #3. After the fire was successfully extinguished, Anderson and three other firefighters set up a temporary light plant outside of the house to provide light during salvage and overhaul operations. Anderson soon returned to the second floor of the house, where he collapsed from a fatal heart attack. Firefighters immediately performed CPR on Anderson, and he was transported to Lakeview Hospital, but efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Anderson had been a member of the Danville Fire Department since November 1, 1956.