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Balko firefighter dies from injuries suffered while battling April wildfire

A volunteer firefighter who was badly burned while battling a wildfire in the Oklahoma Panhandle has died.

"It is with heavy heart and many tears that we share this news," Western Oklahoma Fire Coverage, a Facebook hub, posted Sunday. "Jason Smith, the Balko firefighter, has succumbed to his injuries received from the rollover crash that he was involved in last month. Please lift his family and friends up in prayer. He gave the ultimate sacrifice as a firefighter."

Smith, 43, was one of two volunteer firefighters injured April 5 when a fire tanker truck overturned on an embankment amid smoke from a massive Beaver County wildfire. Smith and Tyler Morris suffered second- and third-degree burns and were flown to University Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas. 

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Smith is survived by his wife,, Amy, their two daughters, Julia and Taylor, and an infant grandson named Emmett.

Balko firefighter Jason Smith (center, left) is pictured here in a 2018 photo with wife Amy Smith (left) and daughters Julia Smith (right, center) and Taylor Smith (right). Jason Smith died May 8 from injuries related to his battle with a massive wildfire in the Oklahoma Panhandle during early April.

Chief Robert Marshall has offered to deliver anything sent to the Balko Fire Department  to the Smith family. Marshall thanked the public for recent words of support and condolences.

"Jason was quite a guy," Marshall told The Oklahoman on Monday. "He was always wanting to go and help out. A lot of respect, a lot of courage, a good guy. I never really worried about him when he'd leave. Some guys you have to holler at over the radio every once in a while, but no, not Jason. He took off, fought fires and kicked ass. He was dedicated. That's what he liked to do."

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Smith's injuries initially improved after undergoing skin grafts, and he was released from the hospital in late April to continue his care at home, according to Facebook posts from his wife. 

"We were ready to go to surgery today when the team of doctors conferred and made a different decision," Amy Smith posted April 18. "They decided that it would be beneficial to wait on surgery for now and monitor our progress. The areas that they are most concerned about are areas that don’t involve functionality. So, now we are trying to get organized and learn wound care so we can GO HOME!!!!"

Tyler Morris, left, and Jason Smith, right, received hospital care at University Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas, after suffering serious burns while battling a massive fire in the Oklahoma Panhandle on April 5.

Marshall remembered the fire department giving Smith an escort to his home after he was discharged. 

"What I told the guys was just to make Jason smile," Marshall said. "Don't talk to him, don't say a word, just wave at him and make him smile, because what he'd already been through with the burns on his arms was a real mess. Just make him smile that he's glad to be home." 

On April 27, Smith's wife posted another update, announcing he had been checked by doctors and "everything looks positive," she said. "There aren't any big concerns."

Smith was due for another check-up in mid-May. But in early May his condition worsened, and he ultimately succumbed to his fire-related injuries on May 8.

"It was a bad deal for Jason," Marshall said. "I wasn't hearing too much out of him. He was having some troubles and problems. We heard that it was bad, but nobody knew just how bad. Getting down to the technical parts, we didn't know. And then it was just a little while after that, is when we all got told that he'd passed away."

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Balko volunteer firefighters Tyler Morris, left. and Jason Smith, right, suffered severe burns after a vehicular accident while responding to a massive wildfire in Beaver County in April. Smith's third-degree burns required skin grafts for treatment, and he ultimately did not survive his injuries.

Volunteers in Balko said Morris, the other firefighter burned during the accident, was still healing from his bodily injuries, but he was processing his friend's death in his own way.

"About all Ty got burnt on him was just his hands, so he's doing all right," Marshall said. "But he's awful quiet right now. I think this is going to hurt him more than anything. Once you get on the fire department, you kind of get to buddy up with others. You get used to listening to each other, you learn from each other, and ol' Jason and Ty always liked riding together."

Smith, who'd long been active in other community leadership roles, volunteered as a firefighter in Beaver County for nearly six years. His tenacity played a huge role in his being promoted to captain.

"I don't know how to say 'Thanks, Jason,' when you did all of this for almost six years and then an incident like this happens and you lost your life over it," Marshall said. "How do you say 'thanks' to that? I'm still trying to figure out that question myself. We're all going to have to deal with it."

"This time around, we're going to have to try to make him smile again," he said.