An FDNY firefighter died at his Queens firehouse late Wednesday – a day after he “extensively” battled a heavy blaze, fire officials said.

Jesse Gerhard, 33, of Long Beach, a seven-year veteran of the department, was on duty around 11 p.m. inside his firehouse – Ladder Company 134 in Far Rockaway – when he suddenly collapsed during a medical episode, Acting FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said during a morning press conference. 

His colleagues heard a noise as he dropped and found him unconscious, Kavanagh said. 

Gerhard was rushed to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 

“He is exactly what we would want an FDNY member to be,” Kavanagh said. “He had dreamed his whole life [of] becoming a member of the FDNY and he’d achieved that dream, responding every day to help New Yorkers in need.”

“And that is exactly what he was doing on Tuesday when he responded to a second-alarm fire in Queens, saving New Yorkers at the risk of his own life and his fellow firefighters’ lives,” she added. “Those same firefighters would be there with him in his darkest hour, as they would try valiantly to revive him and bring him to the hospital where the hospital staff would do their best, but tragically, he was not meant to be.”

Gerhard was part of the first arriving ladder company that responded to a two-alarm house fire that broke out just after 4 p.m. Tuesday on Beach Channel Drive near Hartman Lane, officials said.

He was assigned to the “irons” position – responsible for forcing open the door of burning buildings so firefighters can get inside, battle the blaze and help search for anyone who may be trapped, according to the FDNY. 

“It was a very hot and smoky fire,” Chief of Fire Operations John Hodgens told reporters. “There was a lot of fire on multiple floors of the building. And it’s a very, you know, strenuous position to be in – probably the most strenuous of all the different positions that we do work in. He worked through the fire, he was relieved, and we really don’t know what happened at this time. We’re investigating all possibilities.”

The fire was brought under control around 5:50 p.m., and four civilians suffered minor injuries. 

The cause of the blaze is under investigation by fire marshals. 

Gerhard was appointed to the FDNY as an EMT in July 2014, and began at Station 10 in Manhattan before moving to Station 47 in Far Rockaway, the FDNY said. 

He began the Fire Academy in December 2017, and, after graduating in April 2018, was first assigned as a firefighter to Engine Company 264 in Far Rockaway.

He was transferred in March 2020 to Ladder Company 134, located in the same firehouse as Engine Company 264.

He was honored once for bravery during his career, officials said. 

Gerhard is survived by his parents, his brother, and sister-in-law, the FDNY said.

“Jesse’s not coming home, and that’s the reality the family’s facing,” Mayor Eric Adams told reporters. “We united together to continue to lift up the men and women who are the first responders in the city, who [will] ensure his memory lives on. There’s a brotherhood in the FDNY … many of these agencies where first responders carry out their jobs [are] often running in harm’s way.”

“And that is what this fine young man did,” Adams said. “He lived out his dream of being a firefighter. And today he’s no longer with us.”

Gerhard is the 1,156th member of the FDNY to die in the line of duty. Funeral arrangements are pending. 

The last firefighter to die in the line of duty was Lt. Joseph Maiello, 53, who was found dead Dec. 26 at Engine 163/Ladder 83 at 875 Jewett Ave. in Castleton Corners, Staten Island, the FDNY said.

The death was believed to be natural, but the city Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause, the NYPD said.