Two Fort Worth firefighters were hospitalized Wedensday after a garage collapsed during a house fire south of downtown.
The Fort Worth Fire Department responded just before 11 a.m. on Sept. 3, Public Information Officer Craig Trojacek told The Dallas Express. As firefighters prepared to enter, the garage suddenly collapsed, injuring two.
“We always ask for the public’s prayers for our members in times like this,” Trojacek said.
Neighbors began calling 911 around 10:51 a.m., and crews arrived at 209 S. Williams Street within minutes, Trojacek said. As they approached the garage, the structure collapsed.
“They actually had not even gotten inside the house yet,” he said. “They were standing outside, kind of by the garage, making entry into it. That’s when the garage collapsed on top of one of them.”
Both firefighters were transported to local hospitals for treatment – one by air ambulance, and one by ground, according to Trojacek. At the time of publication, he said they were both in stable condition.
No one else was inside the home at the time, and no other injuries were reported, he said.
The blaze escalated into a “multi-alarm fire,” the department posted on Facebook. Investigators remained on scene Tuesday afternoon to determine the cause.
“They talk to all the neighbors, and [see] camera footage – if neighbors have Ring cameras, and all that kind of stuff,” he said.
Trojacek reminded residents to make sure their homes have working smoke detectors.
The incident came days after crews handled three residential fires, a commercial fire, and a nine-car train derailment on Aug. 31. That same weekend, as The Dallas Express reported, a McKinney house fire sent nine firefighters to the hospital.