ELON, N.C. — An Alamance County paramedic tried to save his daughter after he responded to a fire at his own home. Unfortunately, she later died at the hospital.
Altamahaw Ossipee Fire Chief Edward Lipscomb says Eddie Thomas has been a firefighter with the department for 37 years and a paramedic for nearly 35 years. Thomas was working with EMS on Tuesday, February 4 when he and several other first responders were dispatched to a house fire on Burch Bridge Road that morning. It was Thomas' home, and his 40-year-old daughter, Candice Wynn, was trapped inside.
Firefighters quickly started to fight the flames and got Thomas' daughter out of the home. Emergency personnel, including Thomas, tried to save her, but she died after being transported to Alamance Regional Hospital. She was a mother of two.
"We run calls all the time. And when it's your own people, and it's their family...that's unimaginable," said Chief Lipscomb. "I know Eddie on a personal level. He's hurting. He may not show it. But we all know he's hurting."
The cause of the fire has not been determined. Chief Lipscomb says the State Fire Marshall's Office and the ATF are investigating. He says he requested for outside agencies to investigate since the victim is related to one of their first responders.
Chief Lipscomb says Thomas and his family have lost everything and do not have insurance. He verified that a GoFundMe page has been started to help the family with medical expenses, funeral expenses, and the loss of their home. The Red Cross is also helping the family.