Ohio firefighter dies after collapsing at fire scene

Bethany Bruner
The Columbus Dispatch

NELSONVILLE, Ohio — A Nelsonville firefighter died Sunday after collapsing at the scene of a house fire.

Jeff Armes, 38, was battling a fire at a home on Pleasantview Avenue on Sunday evening when he collapsed. Other firefighters and EMS personnel immediately began administering CPR and advanced life support care.

Armes was rushed to OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital in Athens, where he died.

Armes was a senior firefighter with the Nelsonville Fire Department. He had been with the department since 2011.

Scott Frank, Nelsonville’s city manager, said in a statement that “tragedy has stricken” Nelsonville.

“This is a day that we have all dreaded in our minds,” Frank said. “We are keenly aware of the dangers of our public safety professionals, but we all have hoped they would continue to be looked over and protected ... we must not fall apart but stand strong and band together to support the Armes family and those who are closest to them.”

The cause of Armes’ death remains under investigation.

Armes is survived by his wife, Lezlee, and their children.

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