Cherokee County firefighters Matthew Richter and David Burnaugh and Woodstock Firefighter David Gray were battling the flames at 811 Commons Court shortly after 1:30 on Saturday when the front porch suddenly collapsed on them, sending them down into the basement of the home.
"For a second I didn’t know what happened," Burnaugh told the newspaper. "I just saw a huge fireball around me."
The men were buried in charred debris and Gray was trapped for about 15 minutes before being pulled to safety.
Richter said he remembers looking to his left after the collapse and thinking to himself, "That's where Gray should have been."
Some of the debris fell onto Gray, knocking off his mask and exposing him to the smoke.
He remains at Kennestone Hospital with injuries to his chest and lunges.
Richter suffered a torn pectoral muscle and Burnaugh suffered a minor hand injury.
Richter said he was able to visit with Gray before being released from the hospital and is confident that he'll make it out.
"He'll walk out of there," he said. "He'll be fine."
