A Hall County firefighter remained in stable condition Sunday after suffering second- and third-degree burns from a house fire Saturday afternoon.
Angie Roach, 31, received burns to 35 percent of her body, 10 percent of which are third-degree burns, after falling through a floor and into a burning basement during a fire call at a home located at 5932 Chimney Springs Road, Hall County Fire Marshal Scott Cagle said.
Roach was flown to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta after the incident, which happened about 2:30 p.m. Saturday. No bones were broken in the fall.
It was the most serious firefighting injury suffered by a Hall County firefighter in the 37-year-history of the department, Cagle said.
Cagle described Roach, who was hired on July 6, 1999, and serves as a fire apparatus operator, as an "outstanding employee" and said she is the first woman to be assigned to the engineer position in the history of the department.
Her main job as an engineer is to drive the fire engine. She is also a firefighter paramedic.
On Saturday, Roach's shift was about to end when she decided to work overtime. Normally her job requires her to stay outside and pump the truck, but on the overtime shift she made an interior attack in the home, which is near Shoal Creek Park in South Hall.
Firefighters from Fire Station No. 8 on Gaines Ferry Road were first on the scene at the 2,500-square-foot home of Scott and Stephanie Norton, Cagle said. Nobody was inside the house at the time of the fire.
Firefighters forced their way through a front door when they saw smoke coming from the house, Cagle said. Roach was about 12 feet into the foyer when the floor, weakened by flames, gave way underneath her. She fell 10 or 12 feet into a small 5-foot-by-5-foot basement room where the fire started, Cagle said.
A rescue team was able to pull Roach out by making a second entry through a basement door. Cagle estimated that she was in the basement three or four minutes, surrounded by flames that can reach temperatures of 1,200 degrees.
Roach remained conscious through the incident, but is "heavily sedated" for pain management while her burns are treated and cleaned, Cagle said.
While Roach did not suffer any respiratory burns, she is on a nasal cannula as a precaution.
Cagle said the fire was likely accidental and probably electrical in nature. In the small room where the fire began, there were only three items: a panel box, water heater and a heating and air conditioning unit.
Cagle was particularly impressed with the Norton family.
He said while they were appreciative of the job the firefighters did, they had no concern to their house or their belongings.
"The only thing they were worried about was Angie," he said.
Cagle said the Nortons, who have a young boy, planned to go to the hospital to visit Roach and her family sometime this week.
Recovering from burns such as the ones Roach suffered could take months, and is a painful process, Cagle said. But Roach's job will be waiting for her when she is ready, he said.
"She will pull through with flying colors," Cagle said.
