A Burlington, Connecticut (near Hartford) Firefighter has died in the Line of Duty after he suffered a medical emergency while operating at a fire in New Hartford earlier this week. He had suddenly become ill (see below for explanation) while fighting that fire that broke out early Tuesday morning in New Hartford. Firefighter Colin McFadden, 26, was a six-year member of the Burlington Volunteer Fire Department.
McFadden was taken to the hospital where he underwent emergency surgery and had been listed in critical condition but passed away today. Burlington Fire Chief Michael Boucher said doctors discovered that McFadden had APL, which is a form of Leukemia. During treatment, McFadden’s medical team had discovered this previously undiagnosed medical condition that had caused his sudden illness. The Fire Chief said the statewide blood supply was critical to McFadden’s care, and encouraged people to donate blood, as the state is seeing a shortage. There has been an outpouring of support from fire stations across the state.