By Elizabeth Evans
The York Dispatch
YORK, Pa. — Three York City firefighters suffered injuries while battling a blaze Monday morning.
Fire Chief John Senft said the injuries “don’t appear to be life-threatening.”
One was treated at the scene for a burn; another was treated at York Hospital and released; and a third has been admitted to York Hospital for observation, he said.
At 9:15 a.m., crews were called to 537 N. Hartley St. and notified an infant may be inside.
Senft said a search found no one inside the row home, and firefighters then turned their attention to dousing the blaze.
A “mayday” distress signal was given from inside the burning building and onlookers watched in horror as several firefighters carried firefighter Timothy Bair outside and laid him on the sidewalk at 9:40 a.m.
Initially, Bair seemed unresponsive and crews quickly stripped off the firefighter’s jacket and shirt, then put an oxygen mask over his face. In moments, it was apparent Bair was breathing and talking, but still appeared to be in distress.
Senft held Bair’s hand and several other firefighters hovered over him protectively as ambulance crew members affixed a neck brace and slid him onto a litter. Crews lifted Bair onto a stretcher and rushed him to an ambulance.
“This is crazy,” said 17-year-old Chris Ritter, who lives several doors away.
Bair and Lt. Patrick Rose were both injured on the second floor when a floor partially gave way.
“They fell into a hole in the floor,” Senft said, but did not fall down to the first floor. “There’s a portion of the floor that appears (was) compromised.”
After getting out of the home, Rose knelt down, then sat on a stretcher and was covered with a blanket. After a few minutes, ambulance workers put a neck brace on him as well and rolled him to a second ambulance.
Senft said Rose suffered multiple contusions, or bruising.
Both Bair and Rose were taken to York Hospital, where Bair was admitted and remains in satisfactory condition, a hospital spokeswoman said. Rose was treated and released, Senft said.
A third firefighter, Shawn Firestone, suffered a burn on his forehead — from radiant heat exposure — and was treated at the scene, the chief said.
Senft said he knows the threat of firefighters being injured is constant.
“It scares me every time the (fire) bells ring,” he said.
He described the fire as aggressive and created quite a bit of smoke. “This was a hell of a fire,” he said. “The bulk of the fire was confined to the upper floor.”
The fire appears to be accidental, according to Senft.
“We believe ... possibly a result of discarded smoking material and/or a candle,” he said.
Damage is estimated to be “in the tens of thousands of dollars,” Senft said. The family that lives there will be displaced, he said, but the home is salvageable.
A woman, her boyfriend and her three teenage children live in the home, according to neighbors and to 13-year-old Krystal Martenson, who is friends with the teenage girl.
The family was referred to the York County chapter of the American Red Cross, Senft said.
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