A Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter injured during a training exercise over the weekend died today at a hospital according to the LAFD/
The 29-year-old fell from an LAFD aerial ladder while the department was participating in a training exercise in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday morning.
``Despite the heroic efforts of doctors and nurses at the hospital, Firefighter Wong succumbed to his injuries early (this) morning,'' LAFD spokesman Peter Sanders said.
A brief procession is planned for ten am this morning when firefighters will escort his body from County-USC Medical center to a nearby coroner's office.
Wong was a two-year veteran of the LAFD and was assigned to Fire Station 92 in Rancho Park. Wong was scheduled to be transferred to Fire Station 9 which serves downtown Los Angeles and Skid Row, where he was working at the time of the accident.
Sanders said Wong graduated from the LAFD Recruit Academy on Terminal Island in August of 2015 and was the top academic performer in his class.
``I join the men and women of the LAFD in mourning Firefighter Wong's sudden passing,'' said LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas. ``It is always a tragedy to lose one of our own, especially an accomplished individual who was still at the beginning of what was certainly going to be a promising career."
Wong is survived by his wife Danielle; his infant son Colton; his mother Ann; his mother-in-law and father-in-law Barbara and Michael Quinlan; and his sisters-in-law Nicole and Stephanie.
Details on a memorial service are pending. The LAFD and state safety agencies will conduct an investigation into the circumstances of his death.