A man has died, and a firefighter was injured after an oxygen tank explosion caused an apartment fire in Mesquite.
The fire occurred around 11 p.m. on January 11 at the Country Club Apartments on Pinehurst Lane, near LBJ and La Prada.
As reported by CBS 11, firefighters were performing CPR on a man when his oxygen tank erupted. According to officials, the fire spread quickly.
It has not been revealed whether the man died before, or as a result of, the fire. The firefighter was transported to a hospital with second-degree burns to his hand.
The fire crew, who were not initially wearing protective equipment, rushed out to gear up and returned to assist the victim after not being able to pull him out originally.
Jon Moore, the Mesquite fire Lt. said in a statement, “We had the fire get into the attic and run through the entire attic. The crews were without any kind of gear on, again the apartment had completely flashed. It was a lot of fire in the apartment.”
No one else was injured. Several other residents will have to relocate due to damages to their units.
An investigation is underway.