Firefighters shocked battling house fire

(12/01/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- Six firefighters are recovering after being hurt battling a blaze in southeast Houston. Several of them were shocked by an electrical current running through the home. Fire officials say the firefighters are fortunate they were not killed.

Flames broke out at the small house on Pederson and Coffee Saturday afternoon. It wasn't a huge inferno, but in the end, just as dangerous.

"It should have been just a routine house fire, but like I said, there's nothing routine about anything," said Houston Fire Department Commander Chief C. Chavez.

The problem is there was still power running to the house that was being doused with water to control the flames. Even though firefighters had turned the electricity off at the breaker box, they went in. Duct work from the attic fell on them, along with electrical wiring. It was still carrying power and four firefighters were entangled in it for two minutes, unable to escape a live current.

"That's what was getting them, that wiring was around them," said HFD District Chief Tommy Dowdy. "A firefighters coming in the back said he saw them laying on the floor. They were just trying to get untangled so the more they worked, the more they got tangled and the more they got shocked. "

The firefighters who helped them were shocked as well.

In the end, there were six injuries. Five were shocked and a captain suffered an injured rib. CenterPoint Energy cut power to the house from the pole.

The house had no ground wire. The saving grace, we're told, was that the current was about 100 volts.

Not to be lost in all this, he homeowner and his family had been in the house for only two months.

"I work. I'm a teacher and I have no work clothes," said homeowner Lamar Brpown. "My son has no clothes. I'm gonna salvage what I can once they let me go into my home. But at this present time, I know I lost everything."

His family is safe though. And though somewhat the worse for wear are the firefighters who were injured. It could have had a different ending.

"Had it been a high power line, we probably would have been looking at some fatalities now," said Dowdy.

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local, deborah wrigley

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