By Sam Wood
The Philadelphia Inquirer
PHILADELPHIA — A section of a warehouse roof collapsed during a fire in Northeast Philadelphia late Wednesday night, injuring two veteran firefighters as they fell 20 feet to the ground.
The blaze broke out shortly before 10 p.m. at an auto shop tucked inside an industrial complex on the 4800 block of Wingate Street in the city's Holmesburg section.
Firefighters Bob Underwood, 47, and Raymond Rajchel, 54, climbed to the roof to cut a hole for ventilation, Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said.
"This roof seemed solid enough. It was covered with asbestos and cement," Ayers said. "But when they cut it, it gave way."
Underwood, a 23-year veteran, was able to break his fall. Rajchel, a 34-year veteran, landed hard and cracked several bones.
The firefighters were rushed to Frankford Hospital-Torresdale Campus. Underwood was treated and able to walk out of the emergency room with his wife, Ayers said.
Rajchel spent most of yesterday in surgery as doctors worked to repair fractures in his arm and ribs, Ayers said.
The blaze, which threw off thick clouds of heavy smoke, was under control in 22 minutes, Ayers said.
The fire might have been sparked by a battery pack that had been misused and left plugged in, Ayers said.
"We found several violations at the site," Ayers said, adding that the shop also lacked required licenses and zoning permits.
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