Firefighter Falls Through Floor Battling Blaze In Salt Lake City
Dec 13, 2018, 7:44 AM | Updated: 12:18 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Crews responded to an overnight fire where at least one firefighter had a very close call.
Officials with Salt Lake City Fire said a crew arrived at an old automotive shop at about midnight and found heavy smoke and flames. A second alarm was called immediately, which brought in about 30 more firefighters.
One firefighter fell through the second floor of the shop at 945 S. 300 West while battling the blaze. Luckily, he didn’t suffer any serious injuries and was able to walk away. He’s expected to be OK.
When the firefighter fell, Battalion Chief Kelly Carter said he immediately called a Rapid Intervention Team to go in and rescue him.
“By the time I had the RIT company go over to him, he’d already self-extricated himself from the building,” Carter said. “It’s always a big concern of ours, just making sure we keep our people safe. It’s always a big concern, and that’s why we set it up the way we do: to keep our own people safe.”
It took crews about 15 minutes to put out the fire at what was Will’s Automotive.
There was reportedly no one inside, and the building has been vacant for a while.
Investigators are working to determine what started the fire, but they’re saying it’s suspicious. The damage is estimated at $100,000.
