Knox, Hard-Charging Fire Marshal, Becomes Coronavirus Victim at 84

John Knox, a dedicated and incorruptible Fire Marshal who played a major role in exposing a multi-million-dollar arson-for-profit ring in the 1980s and was the first Fire Marshal Representative on the Uniformed Firefighters Association board, died March 16 at 84, three days after being diagnosed with coronavirus.

Mr. Knox had been rushed to the hospital Feb. 26 with what family members believed was the flu. He was particularly vulnerable to coronavirus because of his age and his suffering from both chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and reduced lung function due to weeks he spent at the World Trade Center site in the aftermath of 9/11.