Two firefighters and a resident were injured in a house fire Tuesday in Mantua Township, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office said.
Mantua Township Fire Commissioner Jay Hauss said the injured firemen are his son, Chief Brian Hauss, and Lt. Michael Craft. The firefighters, who appear to have suffered second degree burns, the elder Hauss said, are being treated at Cooper University Hospital in Camden.
The resident was seriously injured in the blaze, which started sometime before 10 a.m., the prosecutor's office said. She was taken to Crozer-Chester Medical Center. Her identity was not released.
The younger Hauss and Craft went into the home on the unit block of Monroe Avenue to rescue the resident, the elder Hauss said.
"They were trying to get her out through the window," said Jay Hauss, who was at Cooper as he spoke. "The room flashed over on both of them."
The firefighters managed to escape through a window.
Brian Hauss suffered burns to his ears and legs; Craft's hands and ears also were burned, Jay Hauss said.
"They're both conscious and alert," the fire commissioner said. He said the firefighters were "brave" and went beyond the call of duty.
"That's what they train for," he said.
The county prosecutor's office, county fire marshal, and the township police department are investigating the fire.
Copyright 2012 - The Philadelphia Inquirer
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
