Courtesy of Loudoun Times-Mirror
A Loudoun County firefighter was engulfed in flames as he tried to extinguish a fire at a school construction site in Leesburg Monday, but left the hospital later in the day after being treated for minor injuries.
The injured man, Brent Harne, of Middletown, Md., is in his early 30s and works as a career firefighter assigned to the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Co. 20. He also volunteers at the Middletown Volunteer Fire Department near his home.
Harne received first-degree burns as he sprayed water on a stack of burning insulation panels that ignited on the roof of Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School. The school is under construction at 850 North Dry Hollow Road, on former farm property in north Leesburg.
Station 20 was one of eight in Loudoun that responded to the fire, which spewed a billowing cloud of black smoke that blew north over the U.S. 15 Bypass and could be seen for miles.
Although Loudoun County firefighters could not be reached for comment, one of Harne's colleagues in Middletown, Md., said volunteer firefighters were relieved when they heard Harne was not seriously injured. They had waited late in the day Monday at the station to learn about his condition.
