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The mysterious death of Charles Cate: Firefighter, 46, found dead in bunk after responding to emergency

Fire Chief Ben Andrews wrote, 'Captain Cate was discovered deceased in his bunk by members of his crew when they attempted to wake him around 7 am'

PORT ANGELES, WASHINGTON: A Washington firefighter of the Clallam County Fire District 3 was discovered dead in his bunk hours later he responded to an emergency call. Charles "Chad" Cate, 46 was discovered dead by his crew colleagues at about seven in the morning on Thursday, January 12, the Clallam County Fire District 3 said in a Facebook post. The fire department said that everyone had gone to sleep when he returned to the station. The cause of death remained unknown. Cate had visited two fire scenes in the early hours of Thursday.

Cate responded to a fire alert at a commercial building at about 2:25 am and then he went back to the station, 323 N. Fifth Ave. After the early morning call, the crews went to sleep. Later, at approximately 4 am, after returning to the scene of an earlier home fire in the Dungeness area, he texted a fellow captain and the duty chief to let them know everything was well there, according to the US Fire Administration.  According to the release, the state Department of Labor and Industries is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death, as is typical of all workplace-related deaths and injuries, Peninsula News reported

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Fire Chief Ben Andrews wrote in a Facebook post on the page of Clallam County Fire District 3, “It is with deep sadness, that Clallam County Fire District 3 must inform the local and fire service community of the Line of Duty Death of one of our officers this morning, Captain Charles ‘Chad’ Cate." “Captain Cate was discovered deceased in his bunk by members of his crew when they attempted to wake him this morning around 7 a.m.,” the post said. 

The Clallam County Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 2933 memorialized Cate on its Facebook page. “His passing was completely unexpected and has stunned his family, friends and brothers and sisters of the IAFF 2933 and his entire Clallam County Fire District 3 family,” the post said. “Chad began his career as a firefighter in 1997 and has continuously worked to advance our department, our local, and his career,” the union wrote. “Chad spent over 20 years as a paramedic where he had the opportunity to make an impact on countless community members when they called 9-1-1. Chad was promoted to the rank of captain in 2020,” the post said.

According to a Facebook post, the firefighters' crew escorted his body to Thurston County for an autopsy early Friday morning. Cate was a wrestling coach at Sequim High School where he graduated. He is survived by two adult children, a 2-year-old son, and his wife.