PENN HILLS, Pa. — A firefighter who escaped after being temporarily trapped inside a burning building Saturday is speaking out about the experience.
CBS Pittsburgh reported Penn Hills Fire Lieutenant Nicholas Hudek was one of three firefighters injured in the blaze that destroyed a former restaurant. He hurt his hand while attempting to get into the building.
“The quickest way we found while trying to force the door was through a garage door,” Lt. Hudek said. “In an attempt to go through it, the ax went in quicker than expected and I cut my hand up a little bit. Threw gloves on right away, went in and didn’t miss a beat.”
Hudek and six other firefighters made their way to the basement of the building and then realized they were in a dangerous position.
“We started in the basement and we went upstairs. We went upstairs and met with the other crew. At that point, conditions deteriorated so bad, fire overcame us a bit,” he said.
The fire quickly moved downstairs, trapping the seven firefighters.
“The only thing I was thinking was, ‘Holy hell, I gotta get out,’” Lt. Hudek said. “We were just [thinking] ‘Get each other out.’ The first guy grabbed him, I got disoriented. All I saw was a hand come through the smoke. If it wasn’t for that hand, I would have been stuck down there.”
Firefighters William Kriedler and Donny Long were the two other firefighters who sustained injuries while battling the blaze. Kriedler suffered burns on his neck and Long was taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
A vacant restaurant and bar known as Vicino in Penn Hills is nothing but rubble after a fire this afternoon. Seven firefighters were trapped in the basement but they all got out safely.
Posted by Amy Wadas KDKA on Saturday, March 26, 2016
Firefighters were trapped while fighting flames in Penn Hills, but all made it to safety. https://t.co/xnc9NAFveq pic.twitter.com/FW4bPxppB5
— KDKA (@CBSPittsburgh) March 26, 2016
Firefighters briefly trapped, trucks damaged as fire razes building in Penn Hills https://t.co/HNRm3SsZfg @Triblive pic.twitter.com/UAVtGRkHr3
— Matthew Santoni (@msantoni) March 26, 2016