Minnesota Firefighter Burned While Battling Blaze
Source Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
A firefighter suffered minor injuries while battling a fire at a lakeside home in Arden Hills.
The man was treated at Regions Hospital for second-degree burns on his face and was released, according to Lake Johanna Fire Chief Tim Boehlke. He is expected to make a full recovery.
A UPS deliveryman noticed smoke and a nervous dog running around the yard Monday, July 30, when he approached a home in the 3200 block of Snelling Avenue.
Firefighters arrived about 12:50 p.m. to find smoke billowing from the front of the house and fire coming out the north side, Boehlke said.
The first crew that entered the house encountered extreme heat, leading investigators to believe the fire had been smoldering for some time. The group retreated and fought the blaze from outside until the house could be ventilated.
The injured firefighter was in that crew.
"It was pushing 1,000 degrees or more," Boehlke said. "That will actually melt furniture."
Investigators believe the fire started in the kitchen, which is where it was contained. The house, valued at about $900,000, sustained extensive heat and smoke damage, Boehlke said.
The cause of the fire does not appear to be suspicious.
The homeowners were not home at the time of the fire.
Copyright 2012 - Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
