A Fort Wayne firefighter was lucky to sustain only minor injuries after a wall collapsed on him as he battled a blaze at a warehouse Sunday morning and the entire incident was caught on tape.
Indiana's NewsCenter photojournalist Aaron Dohring shot the video of the collapse at the Momper Insulation Company at 2431 West Main Street.
Crews rushed to the aid of the downed firefighter and quickly pulled him from the burning rubble.
The unidentified firefighter sustained injuries to his nose and hand and was released from the hospital later in the day, according to The Journal Gazette.
"Certainly nothing life threatening; he's in good condition," Fire Chief Pete Kelly told reporters at the scene.
More than 40 firefighters responded to the blaze that sent up plumes of toxic, black smoke at approximately 11:30 a.m.
Crews initiated an interior attack, but as the flames quickly intensified, they decided to fight the fire from the outside.
During operations, the sidewall collapsed on the firefighter.
While there were concerns of possible environmental effects of the toxic smoke, evacuations were not necessary.
"The smoke is going pretty much up and then dissipating, so it shouldn’t be an issue," Kelly said.
A hazmat team monitored the toxicity levels in the air and found that there was no cause for concern.
Crews battled the flames throughout the day and by 6 p.m. switched to a controlled burn.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
