A 33-year-old firefighter and father of three died from injuries he sustained while battling a massive blaze in New Jersey early Friday morning.
Officials in the city of Plainfield are mourning the loss of Marques Hudson, a hometown hero who rushed into a raging inferno at a two-story family home on Emerson Avenue just after 8 a.m.
Hudson had been a firefighter with the city for only two years.
He was the first firefighter to die in the line of duty in recent memory, city officials said.
The heroic first responder never emerged from the blaze, prompting a mayday call, Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp said during a press conference .
Hudson was injured after falling through the floor or down the stairs, Mapp said, noting the circumstances remain under investigation. Four other firefighters were called into the home and were able to pull Hudson out within minutes.
