Connecticut firefighter killed from falling fire truck fragment

A 35-year veteran of the Plainville Fire Department in Connecticut was killed at the scene of a house fire Sunday morning, police said.

Raymond Moreau, 60, was dispatched with the Plainville Fire Department to respond to a house fire at 45 Maria Road at 6:20 a.m. Sunday, Connecticut State Police said in a press release. 

Moreau was standing near a fire truck outside of the house when a fragment of the truck “broke free and struck firefighter Moreau, causing catastrophic injuries to his leg,” Connecticut State Police Captain Kate Coney said at a press conference.

Moreau was rushed to a nearby hospital, she said, and succumbed to his injuries during surgery. 

There were no other injuries at the house fire, the fire department said in a Facebook post.  

Moreau began volunteering with the department in July 1990, and devoted “tens of thousands of hours” to the community, Coney said. 

Moreau was a veteran of the U.S. Marines Corps, and was described as a loving father and dedicated public servant. 

“The loss of Ray Monroe cuts like a knife at the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection,” Ronnel Higgins, the department’s commissioner, said during the press conference. “This isn’t merely a job or a hobby, being a volunteer firefighter, it is a calling. And Ray answered the call.”

Michael Paulhus, Plainville’s town manager, emphasized the “tremendous loss” to the town.

“35 years is a lot to give to a community,” Paulhus said. “And he did it with dignity and honor.”

A ceremony is planned for Tuesday evening to honor Moreau, the town said in a Facebook post.

Governor Ned Lamont of Connecticut announced Sunday that he is directing U.S. and state flags in the state to be lowered to half-staff in honor of Moreau. 

“Today’s tragedy is another reminder about the extraordinary risk that firefighters face as part of their duties, and they are heroes for assuming these responsibilities,” Lamont said in a statement.

Connecticut State Police Major Crime will lead an investigation, State Police said in the press release, alongside Connecticut State Police Fire Explosion Investigation Unit, Collision Analyst and Reconstruction Squad, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and New Britain Superior Court.