Va. FF injured in complete structure collapse
A house fire led to a complete collapse, causing one firefighter to be injured by falling debris
By Laura French
ROANOKE, Va. — A firefighter was injured in a complete collapse of a house during a fire on Saturday morning.
The Roanoke Fire-EMS firefighter was struck by debris while battling the blaze defensively from outside the home as it collapsed, according to a statement from the department. The firefighter sustained minor injuries and was treated on the scene.
At 5:45am, Roanoke Fire-EMS was dispatched to a #WorkingFire in the 700 block of Bullitt Ave SE. Details of the #fire attached. ⬇️ #StructureCollapse pic.twitter.com/p1Q2G9HJ77
— Roanoke Fire-EMS (@RoanokeFireEMS) October 10, 2020
Officials said the crews surrounding the house were warned of an initial partial collapse shortly before the full collapse. Some firefighting equipment was destroyed in the collapse.
"A scary situation, but one our personnel handled well with a positive outcome," the agency said in a statement.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Multiple ladders are typically placed around a structure in case a rescue needs to be made.
— Roanoke Fire-EMS (@RoanokeFireEMS) October 10, 2020
In this instance when the structure collapsed a few of our ladders became entangled in the rubble. #StructureCollapse #WorkingFire #LadderWork #Fire #RoanokeFireEMS pic.twitter.com/0mxquiBUum
