Jan. 16, 2026 3:30p
(WGTD)---A Salem Lakes firefighter who was injured while battling a house fire south of Trevor late Thursday afternoon is expected to make a full recovery.
Leading a hose brigade into a burning house off of Rock Lake Rd., the firefighter fell through a floor that had been weakened by the blaze and landed in the basement, according to Fire Chief Alan Carr. The man, said to be in his 20s, was rescued by colleagues, taken to the hospital for treatment, then released.
According to Carr:
A delivery driver smelled smoke and called 911. From the road, the first arriving firefighters saw nothing visible, but smoke became apparent the closer they got. Firefighters with a hose line forced their way in and were met with a blast of smoke and heat.
About 15 ft. to 20 ft. in, the lead firefighter fell through. Using a stairwell to get to the basement, the firefighters' colleagues encountered even thicker smoke but were able to find the injured man.
Unable to make their way back to the stairwell, firefighters moved toward a distant, hazy light and discovered a basement window which they pushed their colleague through. They then resumed fighting the fire with the hose that had fallen through the floor with the firefighter.
Carr said his team did everything right. "I'm profoundly proud of the efforts, courage and tenacity that were displayed by our people," he said.
Although the investigation isn't complete, the fire, which had been obviously smoldering for a while, appeared to begin in a void between the basement ceiling and the first floor.
Damage to the newer, two-story home was listed at $200,000
The homeowners weren't home at the time of the fire.
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