The Marilla town supervisor who also serves as an Assistant Chief was hurt while trying to search for victims in a house fire. Hardly anything’s left of the Eldridge Road home in the Town of Marilla. While it was up in flames Wednesday morning, the first firefighter on the scene was injured trying to make a rescue.
Elma Town Supervisor Mike Nolan said, "George made an entry into the building because there was a report of somebody trapped. There was some sort of minor explosion or back draft in which George suffered burns."
That brave firefighter is not only the assistant chief of the Marilla Fire Company, but he’s also the Town Supervisor. Friends and fellow firefighters say George Gertz has spent his whole life selflessly serving his community, and it’s just like him to put the safety of others before his own.
Nolan said, "George would be one of the first ones to go in, and he was."
It turns out the couple who lives there was not inside at the time. The wife was visibly shaken when she arrived and learned her dog did not survive and her home was completely destroyed.
Firefighters spent hours trying to get the smoke and flames under control, a difficult job, both physically and emotionally.
Jamison Road Fire Department Assistant Chief Howard Diehl said, "Believing that there’s somebody in the residence possibly needing rescue, that’s one thing. But then you find out one of your own is injured, it’s a little more anxious."
We’re told Gertz suffered burns to his face and hands, and he’s listed in serious condition at Erie County Medical Center.
Firefighters believe the fire may have started in the garage, but just how it started is still under investigation.
