Kansas Firefighter Responds to Fire at Own Home

A Hutchinson firefighter responded with his crew to a fire early Friday only to learn that the fire was at his home.

About 6 a.m. Friday, 28-year-old Justin Holzrichter and his fellow firefighters at Hutchinson Fire Department Station No. 2 at 20th Avenue and Main Street were called to the 1300 block of 13th Terrace, according to Hutchinson Fire Chief Kim Forbes.

"The call came in as his neighbor's house," Forbes said. "He was on duty, so there was no one (at his house) this early in the morning."

"I was like, 'Wow, that's awful close to my house,' " Holzrichter said of his reaction after hearing the call.

As the fire truck drove down 13th Terrace, Holzrichter realized it was his house.

The attached garage at his home, 1303 13th Terrace, was "fully involved" when crews arrived, and the fire extended into the attic, according to Forbes.

"Half of the house had flames," Forbes said. "They forced entry into the front door and pulled the ceiling from the attic and living room."

Holzrichter was "kept out of the heart of the activity" because it was his house, but he still helped his crew, hooking up hoses, Forbes said.

The fire was under control in about 15 to 20 minutes, although crews stayed on scene longer than that. The home is almost a complete loss, if not a complete loss, Forbes said.

"There is heat and smoke damage throughout the house," Forbes said.

Fire officials believe the cause of the fire was "electrical in nature," he said. The home for sale next to Holzrichter's home had damage to its siding from the blaze.

Hours after the fire was extinguished, Holzrichter's co-workers were showing up at his home with trailers and offers of bottled water and supplies. A table and chairs, covered in soot, sat in the front yard.

"My phone's just gone crazy," Holzrichter said of people calling him, including other firefighters, after the blaze. "We're a brotherhood.

"We look out for each other. When stuff like this happens, we rally around them. It just stinks that I'm the one they have to rally around right now."

Holzrichter, a Burrton native who has worked at the Hutchinson Fire Department for more than four years, said the home is insured. He was thankful he had some family photos saved on a USB flash drive that he carries with him.

A benefit fund has been established for Holzrichter at the Hutchinson Government Employees Credit Union, 121 E. Ave. A.

Copyright 2012 - The Hutchinson News, Kan.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service