Friday Funeral Planned For Heroic Firefighter ONEONTA – A funeral for John Heller, the former firefighter who died rescuing his four nephews and fiancee in the Saturday morning fire at his Walling Avenue home, will be at 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4 at the Bookhout Funeral Home. Calling hours will be 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 3. Heller served with the Oneonta Fire Department in an on-call and part-time capacity from 2002-2009.…
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Firefighter Killed
WALLING AVENUE FATALITY Oneonta Fireman Died Saving Kids, Sister-in-Law Says By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to AllOTSEGO.com ONEONTA – John Heller, the former Oneonta firefighter who died when his home at 5 Walling Ave. caught fire Saturday morning, was trapped while helping his fiancee and his nephews escape the blaze, his sister-in-law reported. “What began as a fun sleepover with their uncle John and soon-to-be aunt Amber turned into a nightmare,” Erika Heller, his sister-in-law, wrote in a Facebook post…
Former Oneonta Firefighter Killed In Early-Morning Blaze ONEONTA – A former part-time city firefighter was killed in a fire in his Walling Avenue home early this morning, Mayor Gary Herzig reported. Herzig confirmed that John Heller, who had served with the Oneonta Fire Department in an on-call capacity, perished in the blaze, which started around 4 a.m. at his home at 5 Walling Ave.…