LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles County firefighter who died battling a Rancho Palos Verdes house fire this year suffocated after his oxygen tank ran empty, according to a coroner's report released this week.
Jonathan Flagler, 47, had methamphetamine in his system and also tested positive for the coronavirus, which could have been a factor in his death, the medical examiner's report concluded.
On Jan. 6, Fire Station 83 responded to a house fire in Rancho Palos Verdes around 2 a.m. with Flagler, a 21-year veteran firefighter, part of the response. By 2:10 a.m., he put out a call over the radio that his oxygen tank was empty, according to an investigation report. He then signaled his emergency trigger on his radio.
