BLADENSBURG, Md. -- Kevin O'Toole says he has never been more happy to be in a firehouse than he was Tuesday night. And when you learn about his story, you'll understand why.
It was about seven-thirty at night back on Feb. 24, an especially windy night in Prince George's County, when a fire broke out in a two-story house in Riverdale. About a dozen firefighters were battling the blaze when, suddenly, an especially strong gust of wind created a fireball inside the house, injuring all seven firefighters who were on the first floor, including Kevin O'Toole.
The injured firefighters were all taken to the hospital. Six of them were released within a few days, but O'Toole was hospitalized for eight weeks with burns over 50 percent of his body, before going back to his parents' house on Long Island to continue his recovery.
"You have to remember that your hands aren't as good as they used to be," O'Toole said.
On Tuesday, he made his first trip back to his Bladensburg firehouse, where he and a few of the other firefighters injured that February night were honored by Congresswoman Donna Edwards.
The 21-year-old O'Toole, who just graduated from community college, says he's now considering becoming a professional firefighter. When asked if the fire in Riverdale had make him think twice about running into a burning building again, he paused, but for just a second.
"There are things that people need to do, and I still feel the calling to do that," O'Toole said.
Republished with permission of WUSA-TV
