March 20--A Hazleton firefighter fell through the floor of a burning home Tuesday afternoon.
The firefighter, whose name was not released, was checking a bathroom floor for stability when he fell 7 to 10 feet to the floor below him in the single home at 409 E. Kiefer Ave., Hazleton Fire Chief Donald Leshko said.
The firefighter was conscious and taken to Hazleton General Hospital for treatment of back pain and then flown to Geisinger Wyoming Valley in Plains Township "as a precautionary measure," Leshko said.
Grayish-brown smoke billowed from the home as two firefighters emerged from the front door, assisting the injured firefighter, who wrestled to remove his own face mask as he knelt on the front porch.
"Yo, medic!" a firefighter yelled from the porch at 1:34 p.m.
A crew from American Patient Transport Systems Inc., already on scene as a precaution, quickly assisted the injured firefighter before placing him on a backboard and stretcher and wheeling him to an ambulance.
Leshko said the firefighter was "sounding" the floor when he fell, meaning he was tapping a pole on the floor to check for stability when he hit a weak spot in the floorboards and fell to the floor below. Leshko said the firefighter is "very well trained," adding that even with safety precautions, accidents can happen.
He said firefighters confronted heavy fire on the third floor after breaking into the locked home. Firefighters made an "aggressive attack" on the fire, Leshko said, knocking out most of the flames while they searched the home for anyone trapped inside.
Leshko said no one was found inside the burning home, and he later learned an adult woman and two children who lived there were not home at the time of the fire.
Firefighters broke windows to ventilate the smoke and pulled siding off part of the house to remove smoldering building material.
Though West Hazleton firefighters have assisted Hazleton in the past, Leshko said the fire was the first emergency handled under a new cooperative fire agreement between West Hazleton Fire and Hazleton.
Under the arrangement, West Hazleton sent between six and eight firefighters to the scene along with equipment such as its command and rescue vehicles. Leshko said extra hands were welcomed during the fire attack as firefighters entering the home "took a heavy hit" from the fire and smoke.
Officials from West Hazleton and Hazleton signed the agreement Friday. It enables both departments to assist each other if a major incident happens.
The cause and origin of Tuesday's fire were not determined; a state police fire marshal is investigating. The home is not livable because it has smoke, fire and water damage on the second and third floors. Residents planned to stay with relatives until the three-story rental home is repaired.
Leshko said the property is owned by a person living in Georgia who has family in the Hazleton area.
Copyright 2013 - Standard-Speaker, Hazleton, Pa.
