Roswell’s fire chief is fighting for his life after being hospitalized with COVID-19, according to his predecessor.
In a Facebook post, former Roswell fire Chief Ricky Spencer said that Ricky Burnette, the current fire chief, is “in ICU in critical condition and on a vent.” The Roswell City Council confirmed Spencer’s condition to Channel 2 Action News.
The Roswell Fire Department also shared Spencer’s post to its page, adding the request to “please pray” for Burnette.
Spencer said that Burnette, his successor, was his deputy chief when he was in charge of the fire department, adding that the two have worked together for more than 30 years. Burnette has been fire chief since 2014.
“Friends, I am asking for your prayers and your support for Ricky, his family, fire family included, and the medical staff that cares for him,” the post said. “We need to get this man well and out of the hospital and back in his office as our fire chief.”
Burnette’s hospitalization comes at a time when Georgia’s COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have surged. Both Tuesday and Wednesday, the state recorded more than 100 virus-related deaths, AJC.com previously reported.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, 4,538 deaths in Georgia have been attributed to COVID-19. The state has also amassed 228,668 total cases of the virus, with 21,373 of those cases being confirmed in Fulton County. Of those, 462 have died.
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