By Mona Darwish
The Orange County Register
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — A veteran Orange County Fire Authority engineer suffered cardiac arrest and died after searching for any residents during a kitchen fire at a Laguna Niguel home early Sunday morning, Jan. 5 ., officials said.
Kevin Skinner, a fire apparatus engineer, fell ill shortly before 5 a.m. Fellow firefighters immediately performed life-saving measures and he was transported to Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, but he did not survive.
Skinner and his crewmembers had responded to an active kitchen fire in a two-story home on the 2900 block of Pointe Royale in Laguna Niguel, OCFA chief Brian Fennessy said at a news conference on Sunday morning.
While searching the home for any residents who may have been left behind, Skinner told his captain he wasn’t feeling well. He was escorted outside to a paramedic unit where he suddenly collapsed, Fennessy said.
A 25-year veteran at OCFA, Skinner worked as both a firefighter and apparatus engineer — serving as a driver for the fire engine and tasked with securing the water supply and pumping out water.
Prior to his role with OCFA, Skinner spent four years in the US Navy. He is survived by his wife Lucia and three children, Sierra, Kate and Zac.
“Kevin was well-liked throughout our agency and had a gift for making everyone around him feel welcomed,” Fennessy said. “His presence will be missed.”
Skinner was “a dedicated member of the OCFA family, serving with distinction and unwavering commitment to the community,” the OCFA said in a news release.
“His loss is deeply felt by his colleagues and the countless lives he touched during his career,” the agency said.
One woman was found inside the home on Pointe Royale and was assessed for smoke inhalation, OCFA Capt. Thanh Nguyen said.
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