Community mourns St. Firefighters. Louis died in the roof collapse

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis who died in the line of duty on Thursday is being remembered for his bravery and service.

Benjamin Polson died in a roof collapse after battling a house fire in the 5900 block of Cote Brilliante north of St. Louis. Another firefighter, whose name has not been released, was injured and taken to hospital.

Once on the second floor of the house, the firefighters decided to back away because the flames were too strong. As they left, the roof collapsed, burying Polson and the other firefighter under heavy wood and bricks.

St. Fire Department. Louis tweeted that Polson died bravely and asked everyone to keep his family, friends and department elevated in prayer.

“This type of event has a lot of weight on the entire department,” said St. Louis, said Dennis Jenner.

Polson graduated in 2007 from St. John Vianney. His former history teacher, Kevin Walsh, described him as a “wonderful young man”.

“He was a really good student, but I think even a better guy,” Walsh said.

Polson is also remembered as a person with a big heart and always caring and worried about others.

“He was a guy who always wanted to give back to the community, whether it was service projects or the Special Olympics,” says Walsh. “He’s always been someone who wants to help those less fortunate, and so it’s not surprising that he became the first responder.”

The BackStoppers The organization announced it would assist Polson’s family with expenses related to his death. Polson came from a family of firefighters. Retired or currently working as a firefighter.