Series of pictures shows how quickly conditions deteriorated at Maryland fire that left a firefighter seriously burned.
Photo by PGFD’s Mark E. Brady.
FF Johnston is back in the hospital. Click here for an update.
More information on Riverdale VFD (PGFD Station 807) website
(Please note the time between pictures listed with the fire images at the bottom of this page were originally calculated using bad data. That has been corrected.)
The helmet of Firefighter Anthony Blazek is charred black as is much of the rest of his PPE. Firefighter Blazek, a three-year volunteer at Prince George’s County Fire & EMS Department Station 807, is in serious condition at the MedStar Burn Unit of the Washington Hospital Center with second and third degree burns on his face, neck and back. PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady tells STATter 911 Blazek’s facepiece remained in place and there are no indications of respiratory burns.
At 11:30 this morning, Blazek responded aboard Truck 807 to a house fire at 6318 57th Avenue in Riverdale Heights. An engine from Station 813 (Riverdale Heights) arrived first and found light smoke showing from a one-story, single-family vacant house.
According to Brady, there appeared to be a small fire in the living room area as the crew from Station 813 advanced a hose line and donned gear. Truck 807 arrived at about the same time. According to a press release from Brady:
The crew from Truck 807 donned their PPE and SCBA and entered the structure to begin ventilation by removing windows. As the engine crew from Riverdale Heights prepared to enter the structure and extinguish the fire their hoseline sustained damage from glass or debris and broke; rendering it useless. As additional arriving firefighters stretched another hoseline into position a flashover occurred.
The crew from Truck 807, already in the house, made a quick retreat with some needing assistance from other firefighters. Firefighter Blazek was the most seriously injured, but Brady says Blazek does not appear to have life threatening injuries.
Twenty-three-year-old Cory Johnston, a 6-year volunteer at Station 807, was treated and released for minor burns.
The fire was quickly extinguished after the flashover. Investigators are blaming the fire on vagrants discarding smoking material in a couch. Damage is estimated at $25,000.
Firefighters don PPE and SCBA with light smoke visible in this first of four pictures shot by Probationary Volunteer Tony George of PGFD Station 813 (Riverdale Heights).
Six seconds later a small amount of fire and darker smoke can be seen at the sliding glass door. (Note: These are corrected times than the ones we originally used that were distributed by PGFD.)
Forty-eight seconds after the initial picture, more fire and darker smoke are apparent.
Exactly two-minutes after the first picture was shot, flashover occurs with firefighters inside.
Firefighter Tony Blazek’s Nomex hood in photo by PGFD’s Mark E. Brady.
The rest of FF Blazek’s PPE.
