2 Wilmington Firefighters Killed, 4 Injured After Floor Collapses in Burning Row Home
Lt. Christopher Leach and Senior Firefighter Jerry Fickes
Two Wilmington firefighters were killed and four injured when the first floor of a burning row home collapsed early Saturday morning.
The fire broke out in a brick home along Lakeview Road in a development called Canby Park.
Wilmington's Fire Chief Anthony Goode said the floors in the home were soft and brittle. When the floor caved, veteran firefighters Lt. Christopher Leach and Senior Firefighter Jerry Fickes fell through to the basement and became trapped
The fallen firefighters both leave behind children and families, Goode said. Leach, 41, was with the department 14 years and Fickes, who was 51, spent the last 13 years as a Wilmington firefighter.
Just last week, Leach left a Facebook post that seems to underscore his love of the job.
The Elwood Vol Fire Company would like to express our deepest sympathy to the families and members of the Wilmington Fire Department.
Please Keep Us In Your Prayers, We've Lost Two of Our Brothers
Please keep us in your prayers," Goode asked the community. "This is a very tragic day. We've lost two of our brothers. All of our family is hurting, significantly. The entire city is hurting significantly; I know I am."
One firefighter was pronounced dead at the scene and a second died on the way to the hospital, the Associated Press reported.
“The saddest thing was having to watch them carry that firefighter out with an American flag over them, and it almost broke my heart,” said neighbor Marion Veasey.
Veasey, who lives right behind the home that caught fire, said she was awakened close to 3 a.m. by all the commotion and ran to the back window.
“The flames were shooting out of the top of the house. It was everywhere. Everywhere. It was the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen,” Veasey said.
A family of six lives in the home, parents and four children, Veasey said and they all got out okay. A working smoke detector likely saved their lives, fire officials saidFloor Collapse Traps, Kills 2 Wilmington Firefighters.
One of the two critically injured firefighters is a woman. Two others were treated for minor injuries and are being debriefed. Federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting in the fire investigation, which will be led by the state fire marshal's office.
“The most horrible thing is a house can be replaced, but not these lives,” Veasey said.
Read more: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/2-Firefighters-Killed-Fighting-Wilmington-House-Fire-394672091.html#ixzz4LD3LxJ8l
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