Death Toll Rising: Two FDNY Firefighters Die From 9/11 Related Illnesses

KEY POINTS

Two FDNY firefighters died on the same day from 9/11 related illnesses
63-year-old Richard Jones and 74-year-old Lieutenant Paul Deo, Jr. both passed away Friday due to unspecified illnesses
Kevin Nolan and Richard Driscoll became the 199th and 200th firefighters to die from the same illness last year.
Three more firefighters passed away from the same predicament on April of last year

Two FDNY firefighters who responded to the World Trade Center bombing became the latest to have died from 9/11 related illnesses last week.

63-year-old Richard Jones and 74-year-old Lieutenant Paul Deo, Jr. both passed away Friday due to unspecified illnesses, said the New York Daily Post, citing a statement from FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro.

Jones was a firefighter and served in Ladder 25 for 20 years. He received a three acts of merits in 1992 and 1997, the outlet added.

9/11 — A firefighter breaks down after the World Trade Center buildings collapsed after two hijacked airplanes slammed into the twin towers in a terrorist attack, Sept. 11, 2001. Getty Images/ Mario Tama

Deo, Jr. meanwhile served the department for 33 years and was a Vietnam veteran. He was among the many first responders to risked their lives on Ground Zero.

His dedication and selflessness however had a price when he was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2016. Deo Jr.'s family told Long Island News 12 that he underwent lung transplant last year, but it wasn't enough as the firefighter succumbed to 9/11 related illness.

On July 2019, CNN reported that fellow firefighters Richard Driscoll and Kevin Nolan also died from the same illness.

Rest In Peace Heroes. Two FDNY firefighters, Firefighter Richard Jones, 63, and Lt Paul Deo Jr., 74, who were sickened by their work at Ground Zero after the 9/11 terror attacks died on Friday; https://t.co/ozqoN8l33w
— True Blue Warriors (@TruBluWarriors) February 10, 2020

Driscoll served with the FDNY for 32 years and was cited for his bravery five times during his career, while Nolan retired with Engine Company 79 in the Bronx after serving the Department from 1989 to 2007.

Nolan and Driscoll became the 199^th and 200^th firefighters who have lost their lives from the dreaded illness caused by toxic fumes from the bombing.

Retired FDNY Lieutenant Timothy O'Neill, firefighter Kevin Lennon and retired Fire Marshal Michael Andreachi also died under the same predicament in April last year, said the New York Daily News.

The World Trade Center Health Program of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention pointed that those who were exposed during the 9/11 terror attacks may suffer from a “range of health conditions” such as acute traumatic injuries, as well as respiratory and digestive systems diseases.

They are also prone to develop certain cancers, according to the CDC, through CNN.

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