DUNDALK, Md. — Becoming a firefighter was always Rodney Pitts III's dream. We've heard that multiple times since his passing from fellow firefighters. And today we heard it from Sharieff Smith, ho has known 31-year old Pitts since high school.
The pair were friends at Digital Harbor in Baltimore. Smith says Pitts died doing what he loved, and that's how he intends to honor his memory.
"Keeping his legacy alive by doing what we love, doing what we love to do. That's all that he would want," Smith said.
Pitts passed away this past Thursday after a rowhome fire on Linden Heights Avenue that spread rapidly. Another firefighter, Lieutenant Dillon Rinaldo, just passed away overnight after battling injuries in the hospital from that fire. What happened that day is still under investigation by the ATF.
Meanwhile the fire department is in mourning, and as Captain Ray Hudson tells us - some are still in shock.
"Every day we go into the burning building, and we come out. In this instance, not everybody came out, so it puts the realities of this job right in everyone's faces," Hudson said.
Kevin Cleary used to work for the Baltimore City Office of Emergency Management. He considers all responders in the city to be his brothers and sisters.
"He was with a company of men and women that depend on each other. And same thing when I heard this morning that the lieutenant - I didn't know either of them, but I knew them," Cleary said.
Djuan Holmes feels similarly as a city employee, even though he didn't know Pitts personally.
"I felt as though it was the proper thing to do to come out and show my respects. On top of that, my co-worker, that was his cousin," Holmes said.
Two more viewings are taking place tomorrow, Thursday, at the Duda-Ruck Funeral Home in Dundalk - from 2-4 p.m. and from 6-8 p.m. The funeral is taking place at Cathedral of Mary Our Queen on Friday at 10 a.m.
