At least one firefighter was injured while fighting a structure fire in the 600 block of London Court Saturday afternoon. Over the radio, the battalion chief said that there was a collapse on the backside of what appears to be a luxury home under construction. It was unclear whether the roof collapsed, or the back wall.
Police are dealing with a multitude of passers-by who are watching the scene unfold. At approximately 5 p.m. the roads leading to the fire were shut down completely by police.
Ladder 1 and at least three other pumper trucks are on the scene.
Here is the location of the fire:
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Above: Structure fire in The Bluffs (Contributed/Chuck Rood)
Above: Video by Chuck Rood.
Update 5:40 p.m.
Firefighters have knocked down the flames and are working on hot spots. The home was under construction and according to radio traffic, there were no occupants in the home. The Tom Green County Appraisal District website notes that 604 London Court is owned by Mike Mitchell, Jr. and Sandra Brooke.
The injured firefighter was transported to San Angelo Community Medical Center. His condition is unknown.
Update 6:51 p.m.
San Angelo Fire Department Assistant Chief and Director of Operations Scott Farris briefed the media at 6:30 p.m.
Farris said that one firefighter was trapped for 5-6 minutes before rescuers could pull him out. He and four other firefighters were injured when a veneer collapsed in the rear of the house. He termed the incident a “partial collapse.”
The fire alarm sounded at around 5 p.m. he said. In all, 24 firefighters and 8 EMS personnel responded. In addition, four from the command staff were on scene. “The house of secure when we got here,” Farris said. “We had to kick the door in.”
As of 6:30 p.m., the fire is considered completely out and the fire marshal’s office is conducting the investigation to determine the cause. Farris is hopeful that the fire department responded quick enough to save the majority of the home. It was under construction.
The injured firefighters were “well taken care of,” he said, but he was busy at the fire and did not have any information about their condition.Update 10:05 p.m.
The San Angelo Fire Dept. chaplain posted on Facebook: "We had four firefighters transported to local hospitals for injuries incurred during a collapse while fighting a house fire in the Bluffs. We don't have a final report, but it appears all four will be released this evening. We are blessed the injuries were not life threatening and our heroes are still with us. Please pray for swift healing for our men."
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