Orange County

‘Our hearts are broken’: Apopka mourns line-of-duty death of firefighter Austin Duran

APOPKA, Fla. — The Apopka Fire Department is mourning the loss of one of their own after a tragic accident last month.

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Apopka firefighter Austin Duran passed away after he was injured in the line of duty on June 30.

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Sources told Channel 9 that Duran was rushed to a hospital after a trailer containing sand fell on him and another firefighter while they were moving the piece of equipment.

“Our hearts are broken for our department, for Austin’s family, and for our community,” said a spokesperson for the Apopka Fire Department. “It is in these moments of sheer tragedy where our brother/sisterhood is reminded of the brevity of life, and the importance of standing together as a family.”

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Duran joined the Apopka Fire Department as a fire explorer during high school and started working with the department in July 2020.

“There are truly no words for the magnitude of this particular loss,” officials said. “We lost our brother, our friend and a member of our family.”

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Officials said funeral arrangements are pending and will be forthcoming.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Duran’s family.

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