Cy-Fair Fire Dept. mourns death of driver operator after COVID battle

CYPRESS, Texas (KTRK) -- The Cy-Fair Fire Department is mourning the loss of a driver operator who died of COVID-19 on Saturday, according to the station.

The video above is from a previous story.

Hugo Guevara died at the age of 31 after nearly a month-long battle with the virus. Guevara had been hospitalized with COVID at Memorial Hermann Cypress since Sept. 3

"It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Driver Operator Hugo Guevara, Station 9 C-shift," the department wrote on Twitter. "Please keep his family, friends and our personnel in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."

Funeral arrangements for Guevara are pending.

He joined the department in 2009 and was serving at Station 9 in northwest Harris County. Guevara had been promoted to driver operator in 2020 after previously serving as a volunteer firefighter at Station 5 and Station 12.

According to a report by the Texas Tribune, 40% of the more than 9,000 Texans who have died from COVID-19 in August and September are under the age of 60. This is part of an alarming upswing in reported daily deaths that threatens to overtake last summer's deadly surge in average weekly numbers.