Main Content

In the Line of Duty
David Fischer, 43 - Sturgis, South Dakota
9/7/2018
David Fischer Assistant Fire Chief Sturgis Volunteer Fire Department Sturgis, South Dakota Age: 43 Gender: Male Status: Volunteer Years of Service: 22 Date of Incident: Sept. 7, 2018 Date of Death: Sept 7, 2018 At approximately 4 p.m. on Sept. 7, Assistant Fire Chief David Fischer responded with the Sturgis Volunteer Fire Department and other local first-responders to a residential structure fire in Tilford, South Dakota. Upon arrival, firefighters found a single-family home that was fully involved in fire. The intense fire ignited several outbuildings on the property and threatened nearby propane tanks. Firefighters made their initial attack, sent out a mutual aid call, and evacuated nearby residents. Soon after, responders were informed of a resident that was unaccounted for and last seen in the involved residence. As firefighters continued to fight the fire and attempted to locate the missing resident, a nearby propane tank experienced a catastrophic failure causing a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion, or BLEVE. The explosion instantly killed Fischer. In addition, the remains of the missing resident, an 82 year-old male, were found the following morning.