Houston firefighter critically burned
Raw video of interview in hospital
KPRC-TV coverage, including fire video
Article from The Houston Chronicle
Dispatch information from Houston FD website. Click to enlarge.
A fire captain is in critical condition this morning with second and third-degree burns to his airway. The ten-year veteran of the Houston Fire Department is being treated at Memorial Hermann Hospital-The Texas Medical Center. A second firefighter, on the job for seven years, has second-degree burns to his hands.
According to a department spokesman, they were injured at a house fire in the 3900 block of Linder. The fire was reported at 7:00 PM Monday with early information that an elderly man was trapped.
At some point a mayday was called, activating a RIT assignment and second-alarm.
Here is some more detail from a Houston Chronicle interview with District Chief Tommy Dowdy:
The two were inside the house working to extinguish the fire when the flames “pushed back” on them, Dowdy said. The roof then collapsed.
Dowdy said the injuries could have also occurred from a flashover, which happens when the fire causes smoke and gas in the air to ignite.
Officials called for a second alarm when it became a rescue effort. At one point there was more than 100 firefighters at the scene.
While an official cause of the fire is unknown, a preliminary investigation shows the fire started in house, possibly from a faulty power outlet, Dowdy said.
It turns out that all three occupants of the home had escaped before the arrival of firefighters.
More than 100 firefighters gathered at the hospital after learning of the injuries.
