UPDATE: Justice orders flags lowered for firefighter killed in crash

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has ordered flags at the Capitol lowered to half-staff for a firefighter who died while responding to an emergency call.

The Republican governor on Thursday issued a proclamation to lower the flags on Saturday.

Clover volunteer firefighter Mark Horwich died Saturday when his fire truck went off a narrow road en route to a structure fire in Roane County.

Horwich also was the co-owner of a business that developed recordkeeping software for fire departments. He had been a firefighter since 2001.

The Roane County Sheriff's Office is investigating the accident.

UPDATE 1/13/2020 7:27 P.M.

Services are set for a West Virginia firefighter who was killed when a volunteer fire department's truck crashed while responding to an emergency call.

The funeral for Clover volunteer firefighter Mark Horwich will be at noon Saturday at Roane County High School in Spencer. A public viewing will be held prior to the funeral.

Horwich died Saturday when the fire truck he was driving went off a narrow road en route to a structure fire. Horwich was the co-owner of a business that developed recordkeeping software for fire departments. The Roane County Sheriff's Office is investigating the accident.

UPDATE: 1/13/2020 5:56 P.M.

Chief Steve Scholl of the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department says, when something like this happens it hits close to home.

"It affects everybody like I say, it's one big family that we have and we're one big brotherhood," said Chief Scholl. Even though, we've never met the person before. It still affects everybody because it can happen to anybody as soon as they go out the door."

Scholl says whether you are a volunteer firefighter or paid firefighter. It's a calling.

There are over 300 volunteer fire departments in West Virginia.

Funeral arrangements for Horwich have not been released. Spencer residents are being asked to lower their flags to half-staff for the rest of the week.

ORIGINAL STORY

A West Virginia firefighter has died when his volunteer fire department's truck crashed while responding to an emergency call.

The city of Spencer says Mark Horwich was killed Saturday when the fire truck went off a narrow road en route to a structure fire in Roane County. The accident happened near the community of Newton.

Horwich was a member of the Clover Volunteer Fire Department.

Gov. Jim Justice expressed his condolences on Twitter to Horwich's family and the community.

The Roane County Sheriff's Office is investigating the accident, which closed the road for several hours.