House collapses, pins one firefighter, second injured while helping rescue
By Cleve R. Wootson Jr.
The Charlotte Observer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two firefighters were injured Tuesday after part of a southwest Charlotte house collapsed while they were fighting an early-morning blaze.
Paul Parks, 27, a firefighter since 2005, was trapped by the debris and suffered second-degree burns as he lay facedown, unable to escape because of a snagged air tank.
Chris Ingram, 31, a firefighter for just under a year, wasn’t trapped but stayed next to Parks and assisted with the rescue. It was unclear if he was injured in the collapse or by the flames. Both were treated at Presbyterian Hospital and released.
Dispatchers received 911 calls at 7:39 a.m. reporting a fire on Rocky Trace Way. As firefighters headed toward the scene, they could see plumes of smoke from a half mile away.
When they arrived, they began fighting the fire from inside and outside the house. Ingram and Parks were working in the garage and three other firefighters were working in a room above the garage, according to the fire department.
Shortly after Battalion Chief David Rose got to the scene, he said he realized “things just didn’t look right” and gave the call for firefighters to evacuate the building. Seconds later, it collapsed.
The firefighters who were in the room above the garage were uninjured in the collapse, Rose said. They climbed to safety, then scrambled down a flight of stairs to help in Parks’ rescue.
Firefighters sprayed water around Parks to keep the flames away. At one point, they had to connect his face mask to a fresh air supply.
Parks, who was conscious the whole time, was talking to the men trying to save his life. “He said, ‘if you can get my air pack off, I can get out,’ ” said Capt. Gus Navarro.
The fire, which caused about $100,000 in damage, remains under investigation. No people were home at the time. Neighbors managed to save a dog.
Copyright 2007 The Charlotte Observer
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News