PUBLISHED: 21:54 GMT, 18 April 2013 | UPDATED: 09:59 GMT, 19 April 2013 [header links]
Victim: Capt. Kenny Harris, 52, wasn't on duty the night of the explosion, but he rushed to the scene to lend a hand to the volunteer firefighters battling the blaze at West Fertilizer Co.
A Dallas fire captain and father of three is among the fatalities of Wednesday night's powerful explosion at a fertilizer plant that rocked the small town of West, Texas.
Capt. Kenny Harris, 52, wasn't on duty the night of the explosion, but he rushed to the scene to lend a hand to the volunteer firefighters battling the blaze at West Fertilizer Co.
'Captain Harris rushed to the scene compelled to provide assistance to his community during this crisis,' said Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. 'I want to express my deepest condolences to his family, friends and co-workers.'
A married father of three grown sons, Harris had worked for the city of Dallas for nearly 31 years. He is one of half a dozen firefighters who are missing or suspected dead in the aftermath of the explosion.
Authorities have not released official figures on the number of people who died in the blaze. The number of injured is estimated to be around 180.
The Dallas Fire-Rescue chaplain and other members of the department were in West on Thursday to help comfort Harris's family.
Dallas Fire Chief Louie Bright III said the department is 'hurting with the loss of such a great firefighter, great husband and great family man. Dallas Fire-Rescue is wrapping its arms around the Harris family to provide comfort and support.'
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Search: The family of Perry Calvin are hoping for good news. He is a father of two and his wife Becky is pregnant with his third child and his father is a volunteer firefighter too
Missing: Morris Bridges, pictured, is one of the firefighters who hasn't been heard from since the blast. He celebrated his 2-year-old son's birthday earlier this week
Fears for missing firefighters after Texas blast
Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm said the city has 'lost a real role model.'
'Captain Harris’ response is typical of all our first responders; night and day, no matter where they are, no matter if they are on or off duty they respond with the greatest acts of bravery,' Suhm said. 'The City of Dallas and the citizens of Dallas have lost a real role model.'
The fertilizer plant explosion in West is looking to be one of the most tragic events to hit America's volunteer fire service.
Five volunteer firefighters, who give their time for no reward, were missing or feared dead Thursday.
Seventy per cent of America's 1.1 million firefighters are volunteers, who save taxpayers billions of dollars each year and work to protect their communities.
Among the missing are many young fathers, including Perry Calvin, 37, a married father of two and firefighter in Emmett, where his father is the fire chief.
His father Phil told the Corsican Daily Sun: 'He was at EMT class at West last night. He and another boy responded to the fire alarm for West fire department and they got at the fire scene before the explosion. They were both right there at the explosion site.'
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Horrific facial burns, shrapnel lacerations and broken bones being treated in West as hospitals flooded with patients including at least two children in a 'critical condition'
'Of course, he’s one of those that just thought he could do anything. When we found out he was over there we figured he’d want to be right up front in the middle of it.'
'We’re hoping he got sent to a hospital,” he added.
His wife Becky is pregnant with their third child.
Locally at least four volunteer firefighters are still missing including two brothers, a new father and the City Secretary.
Newly-married: City Secretary Joey Pustejovsky is still missing
Heartbroken: Residents comforted each other in the town yesterday as they prayed for those still missing
Father-of-two Morris Bridges celebrated his youngest child Jaimeson's second birthday with wife Carmen just three days before the fire devastated the small rural Texas community.
His son, Brent, 18, told the Star Telegram that they had been warned the news may not be good.
'There’s not been anything official but the mayor did call my step-mom,' she said. 'He told her that he’s pretty sure that they’re both inside the business in the plant, trapped in there. And that there’s a pretty high probability that there’s no survivors there.'
The couple's home was also demolished by the explosion
City Secretary Joey Pustejovsky is also missing.
He and his wife Kelly celebrated their first wedding anniversary last month.
Her brother David Sebesta wrote on Facebook: 'He is a great person [I've] never seen [you] so happy till you met him.'
Brothers Robert, 47, and Doug Snokhous, 50, are also among the volunteer firefighters unaccounted for.
Robert's daughter Marqee called every hospital in hopes of finding her father and uncle.
Waco Police Chief, Patrick Swanton, who is leading the operation on West: 'There are true heroes out there today and they are civilians saving lives with us.'Residents comforted each other in the town yesterday as they prayed for those still missing.