Vernon Collett, 60, collapsed while fighting a field fire in rural Missouri Saturday afternoon. Collett had been with the Johnson County Fire Protection District for 29 years.

Captain Vernon Collett was battling a natural cover fire on Saturday, March 8. According to a press release, at 1:45 p.m. the district was dispatched to a reported fast-moving half acre field fire in the 600 block of NE MM Highway in rural Johnson County.

A Johnson County Fire Protection District Captain died in the line of duty while battling a fire near Valley City on Saturday.

Capt. Vernon Collett, a lifelong resident of the county he served, was with the Johnson County Fire Protection District for more than 29 years at station No. 6 near Valley City. He was 60 years old.

Vernon Collett died while in the line of duty this weekend while fighting a natural fire in a rural part of Johnson County.

A fire captain in Johnson County, Missouri, has died in the line of duty. The Johnson County Fire Protection District says Captain Vernon Collett collapsed while actively fighting a natural cover fire in a rural part of the county. Despite nearly an hour of lifesaving efforts at the scene, he was pronounced dead.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Johnson County, Missouri, Fire Protection District captain died in the line of duty Saturday afternoon. Captain Vernon Collett collapsed while fighting a natural cover fire. Despite nearly an hour of lifesaving efforts, he was declared dead at the scene.

Johnson County, Missouri, is mourning the loss of Captain Vernon Collett, who died on Saturday while battling a brush fire. Collett was the first to arrive at the scene of the brush fire off MM Highway in rural Johnson County on Saturday afternoon just before 2 p.