WEBVTT A SOMBER DAY INCINCINNATI.A FIREFIGHTER KILLED WHILEBALINGT A FIRE.A MAY DAY CALLED RANG OUT THISMORNING.PART OF AN EFFORT TO RESCUERESIDENTS IN A BURNING APARTMENTBUILDING, A FIREFIGHTER FELLDOWN AN ELEVATOR SHAFT AMIDSTTHE CHAOS.NOW A FAMILY, A DEPARTMENTAND A CITY HONOR A HERO WHO GAVEHIS LIFE TRYING TO SAVE OTHERS.WE DO NOT KNOW WHEN THE DAY WILLCOME BUT IT WILL COME FOR USALL, THE WORDS OF MAYOR BLACK INTH MORNING.REACTION FROM THE HOSPITAL.WE START WITH BRIAN COVERING THEDEATH OF CINCINNATI FIREFIGHTERDARRYL GORDON.WE ARE LEARNING MORE ABOUTTHE MAN THEY ARE CALLING A HEROHERE AT CITY HALL.HE WAS A 30 YEAR VETERAN OF THEFIRE SERVICE HERE.HE WAS SEARCHING FOR OTHERVICTIM WHEN IS HE FELL TO HISDEATH.HE LEAVES BEHIND A WIFE AND TWODAUGHTERS.A FIRE BROKE OUT INSIDE A FIVESTORY APARTMENT COMPLEX.IT WAS AN INTENSE SCENE ASFIREFIGHTERS HAD TO CARRY OUTVICTIMS.GORDON WAS INSIDE SEARCHING FORMORE VICTIMS WHEN HE FELL DOWNAN ELEVATOR SHAFT WEARING ABOUT50 POUNDS OF EQUIPMENT.INVESTIGATORS HAVE NOT SAIDWHERE HE WAS IN THE BUILDING ORDETAILS ABOUT HOW IT UNFOLDED.ANOTHER FIREFIGHTER WAS INJUREDWITH SECOND DEGREE BURNS.GORDON WAS FIRE APPARATUSOPERATOR OUT OF THE DOWNTOWNOFFICE.TODAY THOSE WHO KNEW GORDON ARESAYING HE WAS THE HIGHESTCALIBER FIREFIGHTER AND PERSON.IF THERE WAS SOMEBODY THATTRULY WAS A HERO, THATEPITOMIZED WHAT IT IS TO BE AFIREFIGHTER, WHAT IT WAS TO BE AMAN, IT WAS DARRYL GORDON.AS GOOD AS IT GETS, YOU HEARMANY TIMES SOME PEOPLE SAY THEWORD GOOD PEOPLE AND HE WAS GOODPEOPLE.GIANT TEDDY BEAR IS WHAT YOUWOULD CALL HIM BECAUSE HE ALWAYSHAD A BIG SMILE, BIG LAUGH.FLAGS ARE AT HALF STAFFAROUND THE REGION TODAY.WHAT SHAPPED UNDERINVESTIGATION.THERE ARE SEVERAL AGENCIES DOINGTHAT INVESTIGATION FROMCINCINNATI FIRE INVESTIGATORS.THEY ALSO HAVE INVESTIGATORSFROM THE STATE FIRE MARSHALL'SOFFICE.AN DECRUE LIVE NOW AT THE SCENEOF THAT FIRE.WHAT CAN YOU TELL US?FIREFIGHTERS CONTINUE THEIRWORK HERE.THE KING TOWERS APARTMENTS JUSTUP THE HILL BEHIND US.THE FIRE IS LONG OUT BUT THESEARCH FOR ANSWERS CONTINUES.THE CITY PROMISING A THOROUGHINVESTIGATION AFTER THE PEOPLEIN THIS APARTMENT WOKE UP INFEAR.I STARTED SMELLING SMOKE ANDALL THIS SMOKE WAS COMINGTHROUGH MY DOOR.THE HALLWAY WAS BLACK ANDDEMOVERED SMOKE.WE GOT DRESSED AND GOT OUT OFTHERE.THE FIRE BROKE OUT IN ASECOND FLOOR APARTMENT THISMORNING.IT SPREAD UPWARD.IT'S A DIFFICULT SITUATION FORPEOPLE IN THE BUILDING ANDFIREFIGHTERS TOO.THEY HAD TO USE THE LADDER TOGET PEOPLE OUT.I SEEN PROBABLY FIVE PEOPLE COMEDOWN THE HEARD.PEOPLE WERE STUCK ON THEIRBALCONIES BECAUSE IT GOT TOOHOT.PEOPLE ON THE FIFTH FLOORCOULDN'T GET DOWN.THEY HAD TO GO UP THERE AND GETTHEM DOWN.IT WAS CRAZY.WE SAW PEOPLE BEING TREATEDAT THE SCENE AFTER BEINGRESCUED.WE SAW THE EFFORTS TO RESCUE THEFIREFIGHTER, GET HIM TO ANAMBULANCE AND GET HIM HELP.FIREFIGHTERS PUTTING THEIR LIVESON THE LINE TO SAVE LIVES ANDSAVE PEOPLE'S HOMES.I THOUGHT IT WAS A DREAM.I COULDN'T BREATHE AND I'M LIKEHOLD ON.MY APARTMENT WAS FULL OF SMOKE.WE KNOW THAT SEVERAL PEOPLEWERE RESCUED BY FIRE CREWS ASTHEY WORKED HERE ON THE SCENETHIS MORNING.SEVERAL PEOPLE WERE BEINGTREATED ON THE SCENE.THE EXACT NUMBER ISN'T CLEAR.A FIREFIGHTER KILLED AND ANOTHERSUFFERED INJURIES HERE.LISA: THE NEWS ABOUT FIREFIGHTERGORDON SPREAD, FIRST RESPONDERSSTARTING SHOWING UP AT THEHOSPITAL TO SHOW THEIR SPORT.MARK: A VERY SAD DAY FOR HISFRIENDS AND FAMILY.IT IS.IT WAS VERY SOMBER HERE AT U.C.MEDICAL CENTER AS FIREFIGHTERSAND POLICE OFFICERS MADE THEIRWAY IN AND OUT OF THE EMERGENCYROOM.THERE WERE FIRE TRUCKS PARKED ONTHE STREET NEAR THE ENTRANCE TOTHE EMERGENCY ROOM ASFIREFIGHTERS STREAMED IN ANDOUT.THEY WERE TRYING TO SHOW THEIRSUPPORT AND LATER CONDOLENCES ASTHE NEWS BROKE THAT DARRYLGORDON DIED AS A RESULT OF HISINJURIES.THEY WERE REACHING OUT TO THESECOND FIREFIGHTER AND HISFAMILY.HE WAS ALSO INJURED THISMORNING.THEY GATHERED AT THE ENTRANCE OFTHE E.R.TWO OFFICERS ON MOTOCYCLES ANDONE ESCORTED A LOAN AMBULANCEAWAY FROM THE HOSPITAL.THEY DIDN'T WANT TO SAY MUCH.THEY JUST EMBRACED EACH OTHER TOHELP MAKE IT THROUGH THISDIFFICULT TIME.LISA: FROM FELLOW FIRE FIGHTERSTO CITY LEADERS WE ARE GATHERINGREACTION TO THE TRAGEDY.JOIN US TONIGHT ON NEWS 5