LONDON, Ky. — Kentucky firefighter Leslie Leatherman answered the call for help, rushing into harm’s way as he steadfastly did for decades, when a late-night tornado plowed through his community in the Appalachian foothills. It was his final act of selflessness, and the person he protected amid the chaos was his wife.

Leatherman was among 19 people killed in Kentucky when the storm struck late Friday into early Saturday, as people in the path awoke to a terrifying scene. Most victims were from Laurel County in southeastern Kentucky, where Leatherman was a longtime member of a volunteer fire department.

Leatherman, 57, died while shielding his wife, Michelle, from flying debris, said Terry Wattenbarger, deputy chief of the Laurel County Fire Department, where Leatherman served as a major. He was found on top of his wife, Wattenbarger said. Michelle Leatherman survived and was in critical condition Tuesday at the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital in Lexington, a spokesperson said..

— The Associated Press