According to a report from WLOS, a firefighter with the Asheville (NC) Fire Department (AFD) was hospitalized after calling a mayday call went out during a house fire on Monday.
Around 1 p.m., AFD crews of six trucks with around 42 firefighters were dispatched to 35 North Pershing Road for an active house fire.
The response took took a turn for the worse after a three-member crew lost the hoseline that was guiding them through the home when a flashover occurred. The entire room erupted, trapping the crew inside.
AFD Chief Scott Burnette said two AFD members had “very close calls.”
One firefighter from another crew fell through the floor and into the basement, but did not suffer any serious injuries.
One firefighter was hospitalized with smoke inhalation, though, and the three-member crew escaped through a window.
Burnette said flashovers typically happen before arrival, and similar situations place everyone on high alert.
Burnette talked about how incidents like this show the dangers of a firefighter’s job.
At around 4:18 p.m., the AFD made a social media post saying the fire was brought under control and the injured firefighter was “doing well” and was expected to be discharged from the hospital later in the day.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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