Firefighters responding to a fire at a barn in Saint Paul Thursday morning were hit by an explosion, killing one of them.
The injured firefighter was airlifted to a hospital from the scene, but did not survive, the St. Paul Rural Fire District Chief Bryan Lee said.
The firefighter who died in the fire was Austin Smith. He had been a volunteer firefighter with St. Paul Fire District, an all-volunteer fire department, since 2015.
The fire started around 4 a.m. near Champoeg Creek Lane Northeast and McKay Road Northeast.
