MARION, Va. -- Three Marion volunteer firefighters were injured late Thursday night when a bonfire got out of hand, officials said.
The firefighters were helping with the Marion Senior High School’s annual homecoming bonfire when the debris pile exploded, said Ken Heath, Marion’s public information officer, in a written statement.
One of the firefighters, whose name has not been released, suffered what's believed to be first- and second-degree burns over about 10 percent of his body, Heath said. He was taken to the Smyth County Community Hospital and then flown to the burn center at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, N.C.
"His condition is not life-threatening, but serious," Marion Fire Chief Todd May said in the statement. "Our prayers continue for him, his family and those affected."
Two firefighters were treated for their injuries by the Marion Lifesaving Crew and released.
The Virginia State Police, the Smyth County Sheriff's Office and the Marion Police Department are investigating the incident, the statement said.
Copyright 2012 - Bristol Herald Courier, Va.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
