Firefighter Identified In Comanche County Wildfire Fatality

The firefighter who died in Sunday’s Comanche County wildfire has been identified.

Comanche County/Lawton Emergency Management released the name of the victim, identified as 55-year-old April Partridge, Monday afternoon.

The fatality occurred when the Edgewater Park Volunteer Fire Department was sent to battle a fire in the northeast area of Kings Road, which is just west of Lake Ellsworth.

The Oklahoma State Fire Marshal’s Office issued the following statement on Monday afternoon:

On March 20, 2022 at approximately 1224, the Edgewater Park Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to a fire in the area of 766 NE Kings Road. The fire was originally reported as a structure fire but was later identified as a rapidly growing grass fire involving several acres of grazing land and endangering many occupied dwellings as well as cattle.

During firefighting operations on the north side of Kings Road, Edgewater Park Firefighter April Partridge, age 55 was separated from her apparatus and crew and perished in the fire. The official cause of her death is currently being determined by the State Medical Examiner’s Office in OKC.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office in conjunction with the State Forestry Services, Comanche County Sheriff’s Office and Comanche County Emergency Management with continued support by the area fire departments. There are several preliminary developed leads in the current investigation with no current indication of the fire having been intentionally set. The investigation into the cause of the fire is continuing.

The state’s medical examiner office is currently investigating the cause of death.

The Comanche County/Lawton Emergency Management released a full statement regarding the incident.