House fire claims life of Diamond resident

When an off-duty firefighter observed smoke coming from a residence he did what he was trained to do, he took action.

At 5 p.m. on Friday, June 9 the Coal City Fire Protection District was dispatched to a structure fire at the residence of Richard and Valerie Morris at 1245 Heritage Drive in Diamond’s Farmstone Subdivision.

When fire crews arrived, one of their own was already on the scene. That individual, identified by Coal City Professional Firefighters Local 4884, was firefighter/paramedic William Perry.

“In an act of selfless dedication and bravery, he was able to perform a rescue of one of the occupants of the residence prior to the arrival of the first-due companies,” Local 4884 posted on its social media page.

According to the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal the fire started in or around the reclining chair where Valerie Morris was sitting.

In an attempt to extinguish the fire, Richard Morris was overcome by smoke and taken out of the home by Perry.

Due to the heavy smoke, Valerie, age 77, was unable to be rescued and was pronounced deceased at 5:38 p.m., according to Grundy County Coroner John W. Callahan.

Richard was transported to Morris Hospital in good condition.

The exact origin of the fire that remains under investigation, Callahan said.

Coal City Fire Protection District was assisted by the Braidwood, Wilmington and Morris fire departments, as well as the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office.