A Paulding County firefighter suffered a heart attack while working a tractor-trailer fire Thursday.

Sgt. Kevin Van Dyke, 41, remains in intensive care in critical but stable condition, Paulding County Fire and Rescue spokesman Steve Mapes said.

The incident started about 8:40 p.m. in the 3800 block of Atlanta Highway.

A firefighter suffered a heart attack working a fire in Paulding County, authorities said. (Credit:  Paulding County Fire and Rescue)
icon to expand image

When a crew arrived, the tractor-trailer —with placards on it warning it carries flammable liquids — was engulfed in flames, Mapes said.

Additional fire crews were called to the scene and arrived in minutes, Mapes said.

Van Dyke, a 10-year fire veteran, fell unconscious and stopped breathing about 9:15 p.m.

Other firefighters immediately started CPR on the man, then used a defibrillator to resuscitate him, Mapes said.

Van Dyke was taken to WellStar Paulding Hospital, where he was stabilized and transfered to WellStar Kennestone Hospital.

His family has asked the public to pray for him, Mapes said.

In other news:

Deputies tell another story

About the Author

Keep Reading

Atlanta civil rights leader and international human rights activist Joe Beasley, pictured in 2011, died Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, at age 88. (Curtis Compton/AJC 2011 )

Credit: ccompton@ajc.com

Featured

A migrant farmworker harvests Vidalia onions at a farm in Collins, in 2011. A coalition of farmworkers, including one based in Georgia, filed suit last month in federal court arguing that cuts to H-2A wages will trigger a cut in the pay and standard of living of U.S. agricultural workers. (Bita Honarvar/AJC)

Credit: Bita Honarvar