Missouri Firefighter Dead After Blaze Causes Walkway to Crumble at University Apartment

A Missouri firefighter died on Saturday, after helping save students from a fire in a University of Missouri apartment complex.

Colombia Fire Department officials told the Associated Press on Friday that Lt. Bruce Britt, who served as a fire fighter for over 23 years, died after a walkway caved in.

According to Fire Chief Chuck Witt, the second-story walkway tumbled to the ground inside the University Village Apartments, trapping him underneath.

Witt, speaking at a press conference this week, said Britt was immediately rushed to the University Hospital. Medical officials pronounced him dead shortly thereafter.

Firefighters were first called to the apartment complex at around 4:45 in the morning on Friday, after receiving reports of a fire in the central Missouri housing unit.

Although residents didn't sustain any injuries, some were forced to flee the building through their windows, climbing down the face of the structure to reach safety.

Authorities have released Britt's identity, but not his age.

One student told the Columbia Missourian that a loud bang woke him up at about 4:15 a.m. When he looked out the window, he saw the walkway dangling from its middle.

"I saw the sparks," Ghazwan Alwan recalled. "Almost everything was hanging down."

Alwan also saw the firefighter lose his footing and tumble into the rubble.

"He was walking on the hanging part," he continued. "Then he suddenly fell down, and he didn't wake up."

Chancellor of the University R. Bowen Loftin expressed his condolences to Britt's family, but commended the fellow emergency responders who came to the firefighter's aid.

"My deepest gratitude goes out to everyone who assisted during this emergency," Loftin said on Friday.