St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. LOUIS — Two firefighters were rescued after falling through a stairwell in a burning home Thursday morning on Wherry Avenue at Eichelberger Street.
Authorities say they fell through a stairwell about 10 feet into the basement. They were being evaluated for injuries. No further details were immediately available about what injuries they suffered.
A third member of the St. Louis Fire Department was shocked after coming into contact with live wires at the fire scene, authorities say. That firefighter was assessed for injuries and released.
St. Louis Fire Capt. Garon Mosby, spokesman for the department, said the incident underscores the dangers of the job: “Some of the daily challenges we face fighting fires.”
1/2 Eichelberger & Wherry - Two #firefighters fell through stairwell 10+ ft into basement. In the picture, stairwell is covered w/ a door. pic.twitter.com/yt20B2gjMZ
— St. Louis Fire Dept (@STLFireDept) October 20, 2016
Mosby said neighbors reported that the storms last night included lightning, so investigators will consider that when looking for a cause.
Before 7 a.m., flames were coming from the rear of the 1½-story brick home, in the city’s Princeton Heights neighborhood just east of Hampton Avenue.
At 7:20 a.m., crews were told to get out of the home and work from the outside to extinguish flames on the roof. The fire appeared to be under control about 10 minutes later.
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