Georgia firefighter suffers heart attack while battling blaze

A Paulding County firefighter suffered a heart attack while battling a tractor-trailer fire Thursday night.

Sgt. Kevin Van Dyke was listed in critical but stable condition Friday morning at WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, according to a Paulding County Fire and Rescue Facebook post.

Van Dyke, 41, has worked with the Paulding County Fire and Rescue for 10 years.

“At approximately 9:14pm, while operations were ongoing, Sergeant Kevin Van Dyke, the officer on Engine 1, suffered an apparent heart attack, fell unconscious and stopped breathing,” the Facebook post said. “Fire department personnel were unable to find a pulse and immediately initiated CPR. Within one minute an AED was used to successfully shock Sergeant Van Dyke’s heart into an organized rhythm.”

This story was originally published October 6, 2017 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Georgia firefighter suffers heart attack while battling blaze."