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Volunteer Firefighter Dies in Mendocino County

UKIAH, CA — A volunteer firefighter has died after collapsing while battling a blaze in Mendocino County.

The Anderson Valley Fire Department says 63-year-old Robert Roland died at the Ukiah Valley Medical Center on Thursday morning.

The cause of death has not yet been determined, but department volunteer Dawn Ballantine says Roland’s death was likely heart-related.

Ballantine says the all-volunteer squad of 41 firefighters is battling a 550-acre blaze, one of hundreds started by recent lightning storms.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger released a statement saying he is “deeply saddened” by Roland’s death and that flags at the state capitol will fly at half-staff to honor the firefighter.

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