By EMS1 Staff
POLK CITY, Iowa — A former firefighter-paramedic died Tuesday in a house fire.
Mike Nelson, 46, was identified by authorities Wednesday, reported KCCI. Crews found Nelson in the basement of his house.
“At the time we had a lot of stuff going on, so it didn’t sink in right away, but obviously, we knew it was him and it was not an easy thing to deal with for a lot of our staff,” Polk City Fire Chief Dan Gubbins said. “At that moment we had a job to do, so we tried everything we could.”
A GoFundMe page was created Wednesday, and has raised over $16,000.
Apart from working for the department, Nelson worked for the Iowa Donor Network for seven years. He was also an organ donor.
“He was about the nicest person you had ever met,” Tony Hakes of the Iowa Donor Network said. “As a paramedic, he saved thousands of lives.”
Nelson leaves behind a wife and two daughters.