A disastrous combination of fire and wind injured seven Prince George’s County firefighters Friday night, three of them critically.
Firefighters were battling a blaze at a vacant single-family home in Riverdale around 9:11 p.m. when a sudden gust of wind created what department spokesman Mark Brady described as a “fireball,” engulfing the men.
Fire chief Marc Bashoor said the seven firefighters had just stepped inside the front door of the home when, about eight seconds later, the 40-mph fire-bearing wind rushed up from the basement.
“The flash fire, like a blowtorch, just blew up the steps and out of the front door,” Bashoor said.
Fellow firefighters evacuated the injured men as quickly as possible and put out the fire about half an hour later.
Bladensburg firefighter Ethan Sorrell, 21, remained in critical condition at Washington Hospital Center Saturday with burns to his airway. Kevin O’Toole, 22, also in critical condition, was treated for second and third degree burns over 40 percent of his body. Riverdale firefighter Michael McLary, 19, injured his ribs but was released Saturday. All three men were volunteers.
Family members from North Carolina and New York traveled to be with the injured men Friday night.
Bashoor said Sorrell and O’Toole were alert and showing improvement Saturday, but still in critical condition.
“They’re definitely not out of the woods,” he said. “Burn injuries are very finicky.”
Four other firefighters were treated and released Friday night.
The home, on the 6400 block of 57th Avenue, suffered about $75,000 worth of damage, Brady said in a statement. Firefighters have yet to determine the origin of the fire.
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Bashoor said the fire department would assemble a safety investigation team to analyze “every inch of the incident” to determine whether anything could have been done differently.
County Executive Rushern Baker asked county residents to pray for the injured firefighters.
“My thoughts and prayers are with these brave men and their families and I ask all county residents to do the same. Our first responders put their lives on the line every day and I know that they are all affected by this tragic incident. I appreciate their service and their commitment to our residents’ safety and security,” Baker said in a statement.
