BEAUMONT (September 18, 2012)—Atascocita Volunteer Fire Department Capt. Neal Smith, 46, died late Monday of heat exhaustion after a training exercise.
Authorities say Smith lost consciousness Sunday during a smoke-related exercise in Beaumont.
Department spokesman Anthony Turner said Smith was taken to a Beaumont hospital where he later died.
Smith, who'd been with the department five years, is survived by his wife and two children.
Funeral arrangements were pending Tuesday.
Officials say it's the first death in the line of duty of an Atascocita firefighter since the department was established in 1978.
