ALTOONA — A Pennsylvania soldier known for his dedication as a volunteer firefighter was killed in Iraq, his family and friends said Tuesday.

The Pentagon has confirmed that a soldier was killed Monday by small-arms fire in Baghdad, but did not immediately say whether the soldier was Pfc. Larry Parks, 24, of Altoona.

Parks' brother, Adam, said Tuesday the military informed the family Monday night of Larry Parks' death. Parks was a tank gunner stationed at Fort Stewart, Ga., he said.

Bob Dennis, president of the Newburg Fire Association, said Parks "liked life in the fast lane and was full of adventure." Parks enlisted in the military last year, Dennis said.

Firefighters gathering for a monthly meeting Tuesday draped black bunting around the Newburg Fire Hall. Parks had been a volunteer firefighter for eight years, enlisting when he was 16 after having hung around the station when he was younger. Parks lived nearby, Dennis said.

Parks watched over younger firefighters, and they in turn idolized him, Dennis said. He had such a reputation for adventure that he received the nickname "Tasmanian Devil," after the cartoon character that moves at breakneck speeds.

"He was the life of every party we've ever had," Adam Parks, 21, said in a phone interview. "He was unexplainable."