Penhold firefighters had to battle their way out of a burning house’s basement Wednesday.
Crews responded to a structure fire on Johnson Close just after noon, where they found heavy smoke coming from the chimney and basement windows.
A team of firefighters went into the basement to fight the fire.
Another team was sent in through the front door to set up ventilation to help remove the smoke and hot gases. As soon as they entered the building, the floor collapsed, trapping one firefighter – the other two members of his team were able to pull him out.
“We also had the original entry team trapped in the basement and they called a May Day. We immediately changed our strategy to rescue and managed to get the firefighters out with a ladder through a window after about five minutes. All three firefighters were treated at the scene by Red Deer EMS and released,” said Fire Chief Jim Pendergast.
Capt. Sean Pendergast said the fire was under control after about an hour.
“First, we had to knock it down through the windows to be able to gain access. The stairs had collapsed along with part of the main floor,” he said.
There is heavy fire and water damage to the basement and the main floor near the front door. There is also smoke damage to the rest of the house.
No one was injured, but a pet did die in the fire.
The cause is under investigation.
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