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Video: NC fire Lt. describes fall through attic

Lt. James Garris: “The only thing I was able to get out was, ‘mayday, mayday, mayday.’”

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WSOCtv.com

MATTHEW, N.C. — The Matthews Fire Department lieutenant who fell through an attic while fighting a house fire talked with Channel 9 in an exclusive interview Sunday.

Lt. James Garris was injured while responding to a house fire on Selma Burke Lane Friday night. He was released from the hospital Saturday.

Lt. Garris said he and two other firefighters entered the home after a van parked in the driveway caught fire and the blaze quickly spread into the attic of the house. “As I got into the attic, the fire was beginning to come back up,” recalled Garris. “While I was putting out the fire I slipped and fell in between two rafters. I was just hanging there by my helmet.”

Full story: EXCLUSIVE: Matthews Fire Department Lieutenant describes frightening fall