A Los Angeles firefighter who was among a dozen firefighters injured in a massive blaze and explosion at a downtown smoke shop supply warehouse in May was released from the hospital Tuesday.
Capt. Victor Aguirre suffered third-degree burns to his hands in the May 16 incident, and it was initially believed that he would need his hands amputated. But after 65 days recovering, Aguirre left Los Angeles County USC Medical Center with both hands intact, KTLA-TV reports.
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“I didn’t expect this," he said upon his release. "Thank you so much, guys, I couldn’t have done it without you guys or my wife… everybody."
Aguirre was the final firefighter of the 12 injured to be released from the hospital. Two firefighters returned to active duty earlier this week, and previously, only one other firefighter injured in the incident was back on the job.
“I will be back at work,” Aguirre, who has been a firefighter for more than two decades, said as his colleagues cheered his release.
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help Aguirre and his family pay medical bills
