Murder firefighter who died enroute to a fire name released

Murdo firefighter died enroute to a large grass fire in a single vehicle crash Saturday evening, four miles north of Draper, SD.

Preliminary crash information indicates Captain Nicholas Patrick Van Dam, the driver of a 1989 Ford Fire Tender, was traveling northbound on 279^th Street while responding to a fire north of Draper. The vehicle left the roadway, rolled and ejected Capt. Van Dam, who was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The South Dakota Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. All information released so far is only preliminary.

The Highway Patrol is an agency of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety.