WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A man reportedly killed Friday during the West Sacramento Fire Department’s response to a brush fire was identified Monday, authorities said.
The Yolo County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Glenn Stark. Family and friends say he and another woman hurt in the incident around 11 a.m. were experiencing homelessness.
"I used to work with him at the recycle center," said Juan Jose Noseqlia, Stark’s friend, in an interview Saturday with ABC10. "I know he wanted a change in lifestyle."
Firefighters reportedly responded to a brush fire along railroad tracks on the 500 block of Jefferson Boulevard, and a spotter was in front of the truck to guide access through a debris-strewn area, according to the West Sacramento Police Department.
While passing along a dirt trail, the brush truck allegedly drove over a carpet where two people were later found, police said. Law enforcement believes the incident resulted in the death of Stark and serious injuries to the woman, named Katie, according to her son Jerry Delgado.
California Highway Patrol is investigating. The coroner’s office removed Stark’s body from the scene, and the woman is reportedly in stable condition. West Sacramento Fire Department personnel involved are on paid administrative leave per the city’s administrative policy, police said.
“We are grieved any time that an emergency response results in a death or injury of someone we are sworn to assist,” said West Sacramento Fire Chief Steve Binns. “We will fully cooperate with the CHP to help determine exactly what happened. We provide exceptional training and resources to our firefighters and will assist each firefighter who responded through this tragic situation, including with grief counseling.”
