Kody Michael Vanfossan

Firefighter Vanfossan and the members of his fire department were dispatched to a working fire in a two-story commercial structure.  Upon arrival on the scene, firefighters worked to search the building to make sure that there were no occupants.

Firefighter Vanfossan was working with his father, a Christopher Fire Department Lieutenant.  They held clear the first floor of the building but could not ascend the stairs to the 2nd story due to the instability of the stairs.  Other firefighters accessed the 2nd story over ground ladder on the exterior and Firefighter Vanfossan and Lieutenant Vanfossan utilized a ground ladder inside of the building to bridge over the stairs and access the 2nd story.

Fire conditions began to worsen, and firefighters were ordered to leave the 2nd story.  Lieutenant Vanfossan was located at the base of the interior stairs and removed from the building but Firefighter Vanfossan could not be located.  Fire conditions continued to worsen and the search for Firefighter Vanfossan was suspended.

At approximately 657hrs, Firefighter Vanfossan was located and removed from the structure.  His remains were transported to the coroner’s office.  His death was caused by smoke inhalation/asphyxiation.

Incident Location: 118 West Market Street, Christopher, Illinois