By Rachel Engel
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Three firefighters were injured battling a three-alarm fire at a vacant house when part of the structure collapsed.
A neighbor, Christopher Brooks, who saw the flames, called for help and began evacuating the surrounding houses, WHEC 10 reported.
“I came out and saw the huge flames and everything, so that’s when I called 911 and went to my neighbors to make sure they could get out of the house safely and make sure it doesn’t spread all the way,” he said.
While working the fire, three firefighters were injured when one side of the home collapsed on them. They were pulled to safety and immediately transported with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Lt. Ryan Fleming.
“They are in good spirits and I expect them to make a full recovery,” he said.
This is the second three-alarm fire with a collapse in the last three days for the department, and it has taken a toll on department members, Fleming said. The first was a large fire at a printing shop that collapsed and took hours to put out.
“These three-alarm fires in the past three nights have been very difficult, they’ve been very difficult fires to fight and they’ve required a lot of personnel,” he said.
The home is a total loss and the fire is under investigation, according to Fleming.