A controlled burn in Madison County last Sunday, part of a firefighting training exercise, ended up hospitalizing two firefighters.
One remains in the hospital, but is expected to make a full recovery.
Firefighters were undergoing training Sunday at a vacant house on Oak Park Road just off U.S. 29 that had been donated to the Madison County Volunteer Fire Company.
“We were conducting live-fire training in an acquired structure on Sunday. We did have a flashover incident in which two firefighters suffered injuries requiring treatment,” Fire Chief Troy Coppage told The Daily Progress.
A flashover is when combustible materials in an enclosed space ignite almost simultaneously. It occurs when the majority of the exposed surfaces in a space are heated to their autoignition temperature and emit flammable gases.
One firefighter sustained non-life-threatening burns and was treated and released locally. The other firefighter, identified as Todd Davis of Madison, was flown to the Evans-Haynes Burn Center at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond, where he is being treated for burns and is expected to make a full recovery, according to Coppage.
“A great deal of planning had gone into the training, and safety protocols were in place. The circumstances that led to the accident are being investigated both internally and by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, at the request of the MCVFC,” Coppage said.
Multiple fundraisers have been organized to benefit Davis:
- A raccoon hunt on Friday at the Graves Mountain picnic shelter in Syria. Registration begins at 4 p.m. For more information, call (540) 717-3344.
- And a Big Country Fundraiser Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Feb. 9 at the Madison Fire Hall at 1223 N. Main St. in the town of Madison. For more information, email [email protected] or call (540) 948-6660.
