UPDATE: St. Paul firefighter dies after Thursday explosion, sheriff’s office says

Austin Smith (Courtesy/Marion County Sheriff’s Office)

UPDATE: A St. Paul firefighter died Thursday from injuries suffered in an explosion after responding to a barn fire in rural Marion County.

Austin Smith, 30 of St. Paul, was taken by Lifeflight to a Portland area hospital. “Tragically, he did not survive his injuries,” according to a news release updated Thursday afternoon.

Smith, a volunteer firefighter for the St. Paul Fire District since 2015, leaves behind his…