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Logbook entry tells of Chief Stevens's death in early fire, chief says
Summary
In research for the 150th anniversary, Chief Joe Mirra found a logbook entry describing a fatal early-1900s fire in which Chief Ned Stevens died, likely from carbon monoxide exposure while searching for a child; Mirra framed the story as emblematic of the department's "service over self."
While preparing a presentation for the Leesburg Historical Society, Fire Chief Joe Mirra said he found a decades-old logbook entry that records a fatal fire involving two brothers who served as chief and assistant chief. The logbook shows Ned Stevens signed reports before the fire and his brother signed the subsequent entries after Stevens died.
Mirra recounted that during the incident the crew entered looking for a child; no child was found and the logbook records that Chief Stevens later died, probably from carbon monoxide poisoning. Mirra invoked the episode as an example of the department's long-standing culture of risking personal safety in service to others: "service over self." The transcript did not give a specific year for the incident beyond saying it occurred in the early 1900s.
