By Laura French
CITRA, Fla. — A Florida fire captain was injured by a live power line at a fatal house fire on Monday.
Marion County Fire Rescue District Captain Chris Hays was knocked to the ground after coming in contact with the power line and was transported to the hospital, according to a statement by Marion County Fire Rescue on Facebook. Hays had just completed a 360-degree inspection of the scene prior to being injured.
An engineer immediately took command of the scene, and more firefighters were dispatched to extinguish the blaze and attempt to rescue a trapped resident, who was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Hays was in stable condition when he was transported to the hospital Monday morning and he was released Monday night, the agency announced Tuesday. He is expected to return to duty sometime in the next week.
A total of 43 firefighters and nine suppression units responded to the structure, which was “100% involved in the flames,” the agency’s Facebook post stated. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire, and a death investigation is also underway.