By FireRescue1 Staff
DETROIT — A smoke explosion seriously burned a Detroit firefighter at a house fire on Monday.
Four firefighters had entered the burning house just moments before the explosion happened.
“When they went in the front door, the fire sucked the air to it and the smoke turned into fire immediately,” a firefighter at the scene told WJBK.
Three of the firefighters were able to escape, but one had trouble.
“The fourth one got disoriented and he had to come out the front window, and when he came out the window, his mask got caught, pulled away from his face and that’s how his face got burned.”
Witnesses said firefighters hosed the firefighter who was still in flames and moved him to an ambulance.
He suffered first- and second-degree burns to his face and neck.
Firefighters on the scene were in shock, but quickly regrouped.
“We collected ourselves, we counted our men, we realized we had everybody out, and then we made another interior attack.”