FAIRVIEW, N.C. — A volunteer fire department near Asheville says one of its own members died while conducting a rescue operation in the wake of Helene last week.
On Tuesday, the Fairview VFD shared initial details in a Facebook post. The department said the firefighter was killed in the line of duty Friday, Sept. 27, while conducting rescue operations. The post, signed by Chief Scott Jones, did not specify who the firefighter was or how they died. Jones said the firefighter’s name was being held pending the notification of all next of kin.
Fairview is located about 11 miles southeast of Asheville, within Buncombe County.
Macon County officials said Jim Lau, a courthouse security officer and deputy with the department, was in a truck before it went underwater on Friday around 11:30 a.m. Lau’s body was found on Saturday in a river near Fulton Road in Macon County.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office has not commented on their deputy’s death.
