Watch: Fireman Who Died While Serving Given Honorable Send-Off

ST. THOMAS — Dwayne Thomas, a St. Croix fireman who died in the line of duty on January 24, was honored on Tuesday with a special ceremony that included a motorcade to various fire stations, and a viewing at Government House.

Mr. Thomas, called “Yogi” by friends and coworkers, is said to have suffered a heart attack while he and other firefighters were responding to a structural fire in the Marley housing community, according to a retired firefighter with knowledge of the incident. Mr. Thomas, a driver/operator, drove the fire-fighting vehicle, called a fire engine, to the scene. Once there, Mr. Thomas’s colleagues noticed he was not responding, and moved to administer CPR until the ambulance arrived on the scene. But Mr. Thomas — who had served for 22 years with the V.I. Fire Service — died on the way to the hospital, according to the retired firefighter. The incident occurred on Jan. 24 in the wee hours of the morning, before the 5:00 a.m. hour.

Mr. Thomas’s funeral service will take place Wednesday morning at the Fredensberg Moravian Church in Frederiksted. Viewing is at 9:00 a.m., followed by a service at 10:00 a.m. The procession will take a longer-than-usual route, as Mr. Thomas will be treated to a final farewell motorcade.