Two Harrisonburg firefighters were forced to bail out after gas collecting in an attic of a townhouse caused a backdraft on June 24, according to WHSV-TV.
Firefighters Chad Smith and Bradley Clark entered a townhouse next to one that was already on fire, observing only smoke in the attic.
They soon saw flames in the attic and called for a hose but soon realized the fire was in an area they couldn't reach. When they pulled down the ceiling, conditions worsened as the room ingited.
Both firefighters escaped through a second-story window.
There were four firefighters inside of the house. One was engulfed in flames but only suffered a blister on his ear. Another suffered second-degree burns and a third was treated for heat exhaustion.
"You didn't really have time to think about it to be scared. You knew you had to get out," Smith told the news station. "We know our job is a dangerous job, and we train for situations like this, hoping to never experience them."
