On Wednesday 26 February 2003, companies were dispatched to the above location for a report of a house fire with the fire being reported in the bedroom.
On arrival, companies found a 3 story, middle of the row, brick, single family dwelling with a fire on the second floor in the middle bedroom. While the first arriving companies advanced their attack lines, the fire progressed to the front of the residence and broke through the front windows of the house.
During the suppression operations, Captain Jerome K. McCaffery, 44 years of age, a 19 year veteran of the department, was rendered unconscious and had to be removed from the structure. Captain McCaffery was treated at the scene by EMS personnel and New Castle County Paramedics. He was transported to the Wilmington Hospital and after further evaluation, was transported to the University of Pennsylvania Hospital to be treated with pressurized Oxygen in a Hyperbaric Chamber. Captain McCaffery is expected to spend a couple of days receiving treatments.
Also injured was Firefighter John C. Wilson, III, 36 years of age, a 13 year veteran, was transported to Wilmington Hospital, where he was treated for smoke inhalation and exhaustion. Probationary Firefighter Demetrius A. Todd was transported to the Wilmington Hospital where he was treated for a lower back injury. Both firefighters were released from the hospital following their treatment.
There was one occupant in the residence when the fire started and he escaped unharmed. There were working smoke detectors in the residence. The fire appears to have started in the middle bedroom on the second floor. The cause is under investigation by the Wilmington Fire Department Fire Marshal
