California Fire Captain Dies After He's Shot While Responding to 'Explosion'

The details of the shooting are not yet clear.

A firefighter has been killed after gunfire erupted while he and others were responding to a fire inside a California senior home.

Long Beach Fire Capt. Dave Rosa, 45, was fatally shot Monday. Another firefighter was wounded. 

"It hits home. We just show up to do our job," said Long Beach Police Sgt. Brad Johnson. "Firefighters, they deal with fire. They don't deal with bullets. It's a sad day in Long Beach's history."

Police said they have detained a person of interest and recovered a weapon.

The fire department responded to a fire alarm at around 4 a.m. at Covenant Manor, a local retirement home. About 20 minutes later, however, they discovered two firefighters had been shot. 

The second firefighter remains in stable condition. His name has not been released.

It is not clear how or why the shooting occurred. A civilian was also allegedly shot during the chaos and was listed in critical condition, KTLA reported.

A bomb squad was searching the apartment Monday morning, authorities said.

"You go to these scenes and you never know what's on the other side of those doors," Luna said at a Monday morning news conference. "These brave firefighters went through those doors and unfortunately they were met with gunfire."

Rosa leaves behind a wife and two children.

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