A firefighter injured while battling a blaze in Northeast D.C. early Friday remains in critical condition, officials said Saturday.
Charles “Chucky” Ryan was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries after a roof collapsed during a fire on the 800 block of 48th Street NE. He was in critical but stable condition Saturday afternoon, said Pete Piringer, spokesman for D.C. fire and emergency services.
Ryan, who is the chief of the Riverdale Volunteer Fire Department, is a 25-year veteran with the organization, the department said in a press release. His father is a past chief of the department and his stepson is also a volunteer firefighter.
Piringer said firefighters were searching for people inside the one-story home when the roof collapsed, piling debris on top of rescue crews. Four other firefighters were also hurt, suffering varying degrees of burns.
The home was mostly vacant, but people were sometimes seen inside of it, Piringer said. Fire officials said the home was a total loss and the cause of the fire was under investigation.
