4 Firefighters Injured, 2 With Severe Burns, In Englewood Blaze
UPDATED 08/26/11 7:00 p.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- When a house fire in the Englewood neighborhood went out of control, four Chicago firefighters were caught in an attic full of flames.
Capt. Tom Ruane and firefighter Gerald Carter were in stable condition Friday evening. That's a huge improvement from their previous serious to critical condition. Both suffered second- and third-degree burns.
Firefighter Kevin Abdullah was among the firefighters in the burning house. Abdullah spoke to CBS 2's Susanna Song and said he was able to bring Ruane out of the burning house by grabbing the 30-year department veteran by his gear.
Colleagues say the sound of the PASS or Personal Alert Safety System is what saved the life of firefighter Gerald Carter.
The motion sensing technology emits an ear piercing alarm if a firefighter shows no movement after more than 15 seconds, letting other firefighters know one of their ranks is down.
Abdullah was treated for exhaustion and released. A fourth firefighter, Sean Finn, who had burns to his neck, was also treated and released from the hospital.
Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 president said the fire should serve as a reminder of the dangers of the job.
"From what I'm understanding that there was a flashover; they got caught in a very tight space. It got very hot very quickly, and once again, this is an example of how extremely dangerous and unpredictable this job is, and that at any moment, there is no such thing as a routine fire, and at any time, things can get catastrophic in the blink of an eye," he said.
The firefighters were all battling a blaze in the attic of a 1-1/2 story wood-frame house at 7032 S. Justine St. The fire broke out at 6:45 p.m. Thursday, and 20 minutes into fighting the blaze, the firefighters were caught in a near-death experience.
Firefighter Abdullah said he was feeling better Friday morning, especially knowing that the others are improving.
On Friday morning, Abdullah, a 24-year veteran firefighter, was getting some rest at home after being in the hospital for fatigue and exhaustion.
He described being inside the Justine Street home Friday night, on the stairwell, when through the smoke, he saw the captain from Engine Company 54 fall to the ground.
The captain and another firefighter had been spraying water in the attic when the fire flared up and trapped them. Abdullah said he ran upstairs, grabbed the captain by his gear, and pulled him out.
"The officer and nozzle man were up on the second floor when this thing lit up on them, and they both were removed as soon as they called mayday, as soon as they called for help, they both were removed outside," Fire Commissioner Robert Hoff said Friday morning.
Hoff said the fire lit up in front of the firefighters in a matter of seconds.
"We ventilate the roof to stop this from happening and the roof was ventilated, but there was so much a volume of fire in what they call the knee wall area of the building that we think the knee walls might have opened up and enveloped," he said. "They were on the hose line; they had hose line flowing, knocking out the body of fire."
Abdullah said he went back upstairs one more time, and when he came back down, his hands were shaky, eyes blurry, and he nearly collapsed from the heat.
The firefighter who suffered the most severe burns had to be given a breathing tube. The second burned firefighter suffered first- and second-degree burns, a source said.
Those two were rushed in critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where Hoff addressed the media Thursday night. They were later transferred to Loyola.
"Exactly what caused the attic to flash over – we're doing that investigation also. We're on the scene, so I can't give you any information on that because it's not complete," Hoff said.
A neighbor, Anetta Jones, said a woman and her daughter and grandchildren lived in the home. They were not injured, another neighbor said.
The critically injured firefighter is 32 years old and has been on the job for 2 1/2 years. The captain is in his 50s and a 30-year veteran.
Hoff said he talked to Mayor Rahm Emanuel about the fire. "I talked to the mayor on the phone," Hoff said. "He's on his way."
Emanuel was at the Chicago Dance Festival at the Auditorium Theatre with his family when he got the news, said Chris Mather, his communications director. "He heard what happened," she said. "He talked to Hoff. [The mayor is] en route to Loyola now."
Hoff asks for prayers from the public, adding that the firefighters are improving.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation, Hoff said.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
