Three Gary firefighters were injured after they were blown down a stairwell following a flashover at a structure fire early Tuesday morning.
A fire captain was transported to the burn center at Loyola University Hospital where he was listed in stable condition while a firefighter and an engineer were taken local hospitals after sustaining injures while battling the blaze at at two-story building at 1545 Delaware Street around 1:30 a.m., according to The Times of Northwest Indiana.
A fourth firefighter, who also was in the stairwell at the time of the flashover, was uninjured.
The firefighters were inside the storefront building, which has apartments on the upper level, when the sudden burst of flames blew them back.
Capt. Timothy Haines, a 21-year veteran of the department, suffered second-degree burns to his left hand, a burn on the top of his head and a cut on his head Division Fire Chief James Stanton told the newspaper.
Firefighter Jonathan Kalina, a seven-year department veteran, was treated for a contusion on his left arm and 14-year department veteran, Engineer Robert Grady, was treated locally for burns to his ears and neck.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
