MARION, MASS. (WHDH) - The town of Marion said goodbye to a 72-year-old call firefighter who died Wednesday morning after helping extinguish a chimney fire.
Friends, family, and fellow firefighters gathered in Mattapoisett Sunday to honor Thomas Nye, who had been a firefighter since the 1970s.
The Vietnam War veteran died of a suspected heart attack less than a day after he helped to knock down a chimney fire.
Nye leaves behind a wife, two sons, five grandchildren, and a chief who will miss one of his most reliable firefighters.
“Tom was always available for us 24/7, 365 days a year,” Chief Brian Jackvony said. “He was an anchor for our Station 2. If Engine 2 was responding during the day, we knew that Tom had it.”
The Marion fire chief said Nye’s passing is classified as a line of duty death because of the strenuous call the day before.
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