Ketchum man dies after being rescued from flooded basement

A Ketchum man died Wednesday while helping a couple deal with flooding problems at their home. The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office said Mike J. Wirth, 54, died at St. Luke’s Wood River Hospital. According to reports, the Ketchum Fire Department was called to the house at 85 Eagle Creek Road at 11:10 a.m. Wednesday. The home is owned by John and Andrea Hastings. Wirth was the owner of a landscape company assisting the Hastings with a flooded basement. Firemen found Wirth unconscious in a secondary room in approximately 6 feet of water, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Medics began CPR at that time. The cause of Wirth’s death is undetermined and is still under investigation.