Autopsy shows firefighter died of heart problem

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – An autopsy report says a firefighter who collapsed while on the job earlier this year died from a heart problem.

Lt. Rodney Eddins died April 17 after collapsing while fighting a fire inside a home in Memphis. Firefighters could not revive him on the home’s front lawn.

According to The Commercial Appeal, the autopsy says the cause of death for the 57-year-old Eddins was “cardiac arrhythmia due to hypertensive cardiovascular disease.” A toxicology report was “negative for any lethal findings or intoxicants.”

Eddins was 57 years old and a 30-year veteran of the Memphis Fire Department.