Local News

NC fire captain dies from injuries in house fire

A fire captain from the Lexington Fire Department, Ronnie Metcalf, has died after sustaining burn wounds while responding to a Tuesday morning house fire.

Posted 2024-03-30T21:07:09+00:00 - Updated 2024-03-30T21:07:09+00:00

WRAL Staff

A North Carolina fire captain has died following injuries he sustained in a house fire, the Lexington Fire Department announced Friday.

Authorities pronounced Ronnie Metcalf dead on Friday at Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem.

Metcalf was a 19-year veteran of the Lexington Fire Department and a member of Hillside Park Baptist Church.

The department said Metcalf suffered burn wounds on 60% of his body after responding to a house fire call on Tuesday morning.

When crews arrived at the scene, they got people inside out to safety. However, they reported one firefighter missing. Teams reentered the home to find and get Metcalf out. EMS treated him at the scene and a helicopter took him to Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Health.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.