Carbon Monoxide Cited in Firefighter’s Death
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Carbon monoxide may have disoriented Novato, Calif., firefighter Steven Rucker, who died while battling the fall 2003 Cedar wildfire in San Diego County.
A report from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health concluded that reduced oxygen in the blood, or hypoxia, would explain why Rucker appeared confused and walked toward flames when he was ordered to retreat to the safety of a house minutes before his death.
The wildfire destroyed more than 2,200 houses and killed 15 people. Rucker, 38, died Oct. 29, 2003.
The federal report released last week augments a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection report released in May.
An autopsy showed that the firefighter’s blood contained a 27% concentration of carbon monoxide.
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