Pennsylvania

Pa. Firefighter Killed on Way to Hoverboard-Linked Fire Saves Lives in Death

A Pennsylvania firefighter who died in a traffic accident on the way to a deadly house fire that authorities are blaming on an exploding hoverboard is being honored.

Firefighters are gathering Friday to honor Harrisburg Fire Bureau Lt. Dennis DeVoe, who was headed to the fire March 10 when authorities say his vehicle was struck by a suspected drunk driver who ran a stop sign - then fled the scene.

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Harrisburg Police
Khanyae Kendall

The hit-and-run driver has been identified by police as Khanyae Kendall, 19. Police say she was driving a stolen vehicle. Kendall faces charges including driving under the influence, receiving stolen property and aggravated assault by vehicle, among other charges, WGAL reported.

DeVoe's firefighting career spanned 21 years. His wife, Amy, posted online that her husband continues to save lives even after his death because he donated his organs, according to a post on the "Firefighter Close Calls" website. The Gift of Life Donor Program says his donated organs are saving the lives of five people and his tissues will be used in as many as 50 to 100 surgeries.

Two children died of injuries they sustained in the Harrisburg fire.

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WGAL/Family Photos
Ashanti Hughes, 3 and Savannah Dominick, 10 died following the fire in Harrisburg

Savannah Dominick, 10, died Thursday morning at Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest about a week after suffering burns on 95 percent of her body during the Friday night fire on Lexington Street in Harrisburg, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office said.

Three-year-old Ashanti Hughes was pronounced dead Saturday morning after the same fire, the coroner's office said.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is working with fire officials to try to figure out if the hoverboard's make and model is one of the hundreds of thousands the agency has recalled due to fire hazards.

If definitively linked to the two-wheeled, battery-powered scooter, the fire would be the first fatal hoverboard fire in the U.S.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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