EDITOR'S NOTE: As Muncie and firefighters elsewhere mourn the death of Scott Davis, we want to know: have emergency first responders ever made a difference in your life? It's hard and sometimes dangerous work. Tell us your stories at editor@bsudailynews.com.
The massive church fire that resulted in the death of a Muncie firefighter also left two injured, the city's fire chief said today.
Muncie officials called a news conference to discuss the blaze at Tabernacle of Praise Church and the death of firefighter Scott Davis.
Mayor Sharon McShurley ordered city flags to be lowered to half staff in memoriam until Davis' funeral.
"Today is not about budget or politics. It's about the loss of a loved one," the mayor said.
The firefighter's wife, Raeanne Davis, was also at the news conference.
"We were supposed to grow gray together," she said.
Muncie Fire Chief Sean Burcham said this was the first line-of-duty death on the department since 1955.
Burcham said that an earlier report that Davis fell through the church's roof was not accurate.
He said more details of the investigation would be released on Friday and that a probe into the cause of the fire will last "as long as it needs to."
EARLIER: Firefighter killed in church blaze
A Muncie firefighter who joined a large battle to suppress a raging blaze at a local church was found dead after the structure's roof collapsed, officials said.
The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Fire sent an agent to investigate the cause of the fire.
Other firefighters gathered around the body of Scott Davis, a seven-year veteran of the Muncie Fire Department. A U.S. flag was draped over a white sheet where his body was found among the debris, WTHR-TV (Channel 13) of Indianapolis reported.
Delaware County coroner Scott Hahn released the name of the victim to the Daily News around 11 p.m. after contacting the family early that evening. Hahn said a press conference will be held sometime this morning regarding the fire.
Dan Ivy, Muncie Fire Department battalion chief, said it was the first time a man died in the line of duty since June 1998, in which a man died of a heart attack at the station after helping put out a fire.
A radio dispatcher reported Wednesday's fire at Tabernacle of Praise Church, on the south side of Muncie, around 3:55 p.m. The person reported that a firefighter was missing after the roof collapsed 15 minutes later, the Associated Press reported.
MFD was the first to respond, and it enlisted help from other volunteer departments.
"It's a tough loss any time a firefighter dies," said Indiana Fire Marshal Jim Greeson. "It impacts the whole fire service."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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