Andrea Burton

Andrea Burton was a captain and Fire and Life Safety Educator with the Fort Wayne Fire Department in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She died on Friday morning, 25 September 2026. The Fort Wayne Metro Firefighters union, Local 124, announced her death on Sunday, 27 September. The cause of death has not been made public.

Within the department Burton served in the Safety Education Division, working with colleagues to run community fire prevention and life safety programs for schoolchildren and residents. She held the rank of captain and was listed by the City of Fort Wayne among staff whom families and schools could contact directly to schedule safety programming. That dual role, as both a ranking officer and a public educator, put her in front of the community in classrooms and neighbourhood events as well as inside the department.

Colleagues described her as a steady, generous presence whose positive energy was contagious. In its Facebook statement the union said it was grieving the loss of Captain Andrea Burton, calling her a true friend to so many and an amazing person. The statement continued that she was an incredible asset to the department and the community it serves, with a bright future ahead of her, and that her loss was felt deeply across the entire fire family.

Local outlets including WOWO News/Talk and 21Alive (WPTA) reported the union's tribute and noted that funeral details would be shared as soon as possible. WOWO published a supplied photo from Fort Wayne Metro Firefighters 124 with its story. News of her death coincided with the anniversary of the line-of-duty death of Fort Wayne Captain Eric Balliet on 27 September 2017, a detail local coverage noted as the fire family mourned again. At the time of the first reports, memorial arrangements had not yet been announced.

Burton's death mattered to Fort Wayne because it removed an officer who bridged emergency service and everyday prevention work. Safety educators are often the face of the fire department for children and families who never see a fire truck on a call. Union and local news remembrances stressed both her professional contribution and the personal warmth she brought to that work.