Photos: Apartment Roof Collapse Traps Fort Worth, TX, Firefighter
A firefighter was taken to the hospital after he was caught in the collapse of Fort Worth apartment building roof Saturday.
Units were dispatched to the fire on the city's west side around 2:30 a.m. and firefighters from Station 23 found heavy fire on both floors of a two-story apartment building, Fort Worth Fire Department spokesman Craig Trojacek told Firehouse.com.
The fire, Trojacek said, was advanced because of high winds from a severe storm that was pushing through the city when the fire was reported. He said they called a second alarm due to the severity of the fire.
A section of roof collapsed as firefighters were advancing hoselines into the structure.
The member, trapped by the fallen eave, was quickly rescued by other firefighters from the debris and treated at the scene.
He was transported by Medstar to a downtown hospital and was released in the morning.
"He was in good spirits," Trojacek said, adding that the injuries were not serious.
The fire was battled defensively for nearly an hour before it was brought under control.
One occupant was treated at the scene.
The fire gutted most units in the building, displacing more than a dozen residents.
Peter Matthews | Editor-in-Chief/Conference Director
Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department.
