MESQUITE, Texas - The Mesquite Fire Department is mourning the death of a firefighter.
The department said 47-year-old Jody McPherson died Wednesday surrounded by family at a nursing home in Grand Saline.
He had recently been diagnosed with a rare degenerative brain disorder called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
"We express our deepest sympathy to the McPherson family as we grieve with them over the loss of our brother firefighter," said Mesquite Fire Chief Rusty Wilson. "We respectfully ask for prayers for all those involved."
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McPherson served the department for 17 years.
He leaves behind a wife and three children.