Texas Firefighter Shocked at Blaze

July 29, 2010
Jacksonville Lt. David Glidewell says he is lucky to be alive after receiving an electrical shock while battling a house fire on Tuesday night.
Jacksonville Lt. David Glidewell says he is lucky to be alive after receiving an electrical shock while battling a house fire on Tuesday night.

Crews responded to an electrical box fire in a garage of a home on the 900 block of Fort Worth at approximately 7:30 p.m. After assessing the incident, they decided to cut through a wall access the flames.

Glidewell was operating his chainsaw when he cut through the wall and into a conduit that had power still running through it. The shock sent 120 Volts of electricity through his body.

"We shut all the breakers off but some of them had fused together," he said. "I just got in too deep and it lit me up pretty good."

He never lost consciousness, but was knocked onto his back after being shocked.

"I felt it come up into my arms. A few seconds later I realized what happened. I started having trouble breathing and started hyperventilating."

He was transported by an ambulance to the East Texas Medical Center in Jacksonville and was treated and released a few hours later and was back at work today.

"It was divine intervention. Someone was watching out for me," he said. "It goes to show just how dangerous our jobs can be."

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