Two firefighters fell through a roof while battling a one-alarm fire in the Holmesburg section of Philadelphia last night. The fire broke out at an auto body shop at 9:11p.m. The fire, which didn’t cause significant damage, was placed under control at 9:37p.m. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they went up on the roof of the shop. The Fire Department said the firefighters may have miscalculated the thickness of the roof, which turned out to be made of fiberglass and only a couple inches thick.
One firefighter broke all the way through, falling about 15 feet and landing on his shoulder. He was transported to Frankford Torresdale Hospital where he is listed in critical condition. Fire officials at the scene said while his injury is pretty severe, he is expected to survive.
The other firefighter fell partially through the roof. He was also taken to Frankford Torresdale Hospital with minor injuries.
The cause of the fire in under investigation.
