Lake City Fire Department Chief Randy Burnham died Sunday after contracting COVID-19, the department announced.
“We are saddened but thankful for all of your prayers. Please continue to lift the family and our department in your prayers,” the fire department wrote on Facebook.
First responders in Lake City escorted Burnham to the funeral home Sunday night. He battled the virus for three to four weeks and had been on a ventilator.
Those he worked with and knew him well said Burnham’s legacy of leadership will live in the community and in the department forever.
Austin Thomas, who has known the chief for more than 10 years, said Burnham’s meaning to the fire department was immeasurable. “He had qualities that were admired, that would just -- you naturally gravitate towards people like Chief Burnham, and, you know, to lose somebody like him in the fire service, in general -- much less in a small community like Lake City or Lake City Fire Department -- is just absolutely tragic,” Thomas said.