Some good news where a trio of London Firefighters are concerned.
They were rushed to hospital on Saturday with first and second degree burns, sustained while battling a house fire on Clarence Street. All three have since been treated and released.
Crews were called to 104 Clarence Street at noon Saturday to a report of a structure fire. The building is a row house with four units inside, and officials say the fire originated in an end unit.
The first crew arrived at the scene in about three minutes. There, they found smoke coming from the right side of the building.
“They advanced a line, once they opened the door up, they realized it was fully involved,” said Fire Platoon Chief Doug Shannon. “All the other units, including myself, arrived within 30 seconds of each other, and we were all on scene pretty much at the same time.”
Shannon says the initial crew hadn’t even been inside the structure 45 seconds when they were confronted by extremely high temperatures, an indication of a flashover.
A flashover is when most of the combustible materials in a closed room simultaneously ignite.
“There’s the fire, it’s just building, and everything is at its ignition temperature, and all it needs is something, which is oxygen,” Shannon said.
The temperatures peaked at 2,000 degrees fahrenheit in some cases. The heat was so intense, their helmets melted somewhat.
The injured individuals were treated for first and second degree burns. Thankfully, all three London Firefighters have been treated and released from hospital.
There were no other injuries reported. A dog belonging to the resident was rescued, and is ok, Shannon said. Neighbours living in the same building have told AM980 that a cat belonging to the resident could not be located.
Shannon says the apartment and the items inside were all destroyed by fire. Luckily, no neighbouring units suffered significant damage, as crews managed to keep it contained in the end unit.
A damage estimate has been pegged at $100,000; $75,000 for the structure, and $25,000 for the contents inside.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
Source: Three London Firefighters Recovering From Burns Following Clarence St. Blaze | (CFPL AM) AM 980
