Firefighters check the partially burned wall for any remaining flames on the Port Erie Plastics building on Troupe Road in Harborcreek Township on Tuesday.

An Erie firefighter who also volunteered as a deputy fire chief for Lawrence Park was killed when a piece of firefighting equipment malfunctioned today at the scene of a blaze.

The accident happened during a pallet fire that broke out shortly after 4 p.m. at Port Erie Plastics, 909 Troupe Road in Harborcreek Township.

Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook said the firefighter was injured at the scene and died at Hamot Medical Center at 4:56 p.m.

In a late evening news conference at Erie City Hall, fire officials said the firefighter was Michael D. Crotty, 24.

Fire officials at the scene said a malfunction with Lawrence Park's aerial ladder was likely the cause of Crotty's fatal injuries.

Cook said he ordered an autopsy for Wednesday.

Erie Fire Chief Tony Pol and Lawrence Park Fire Chief Dan Mentley said Crotty's dream job was a position with the Erie Bureau of Fire, which he achieved in January.

The fire was reported at about 4 p.m. and was out at 4:30 p.m. Smoke could be seen for several miles.

The fire started in wooden and plastic pallets stacked outside the building, according to reports from the scene.

Some roads in the area were closed because of the fire.

For more on the fire and Crotty's death, see Wednesday's Erie Times-News.