Phoenix firefighter hurt, 12 displaced after double house fire
PHOENIX - A firefighter was burned after two homes caught on fire in west Phoenix on Sunday, and 12 people have been displaced.
First responders were called to a neighborhood near 71st Avenue and Encanto Boulevard at around 6:30 a.m. They discovered that a large garage fire on one property had spread to a neighboring house.
"Firefighters quickly went to work, extending hoselines to both fires and, overcoming large debris piles, were able to extinguish the flames," said Capt. Scott Douglas with Phoenix Fire.
Everyone inside was able to evacuate unharmed, but one firefighter suffered minor burns. They were taken to a hospital in stable condition.
The cause is under investigation.
‘It was just devastating’
The family of one of the homes didn’t want to speak on camera, but said it was a harrowing morning. They awoke with a sound of an explosion and ran for their lives.
Six people lived in one of the homes, including a four-year-old child.
"It was a big sound, an explosive," Belinda said. "I just looked through my window and saw this big whole fire."
She's a neighbor of the victims and woke up to the fire across from her home. She instantly sprung into action.
"I ran and woke my neighbors because I saw that they were sleeping," she said.
She's heartbroken over what she saw.
"Seeing the little girl crying and crying, it was just devastating," she said.
She says she did what she could.
"I just helped them by getting water, offered my house to see if they want to stay for a little bit, so the child could just like calm down, relax. I still have some stuff that belongs to them, because they didn’t have anywhere to put it," she said.
The family is heartbroken as they now have to go through the rubble of what’s left.
"It’s really sad seeing what they are going through," Belinda said.
Firefighters in the summer heat
As for the firefighter, Capt. Scott Douglas says it's a reminder of the dangers crews face.
"If you can imagine wearing a snowsuit, and going outside and working in 115-degree weather, that’s essentially what these guys are doing," he said.
Dangers that are especially amplified under the unforgiving Phoenix sun.
"When we get to extreme temperatures like this, we will add resources to fires like this. So we will do what we call "balance" them sooner. If we need to bring in more fire trucks to help them, we will do that," Douglas explained.
They're working hard to battle both the flames and the heat.
"We encourage them to drink a lot of Gatorade after these fires and make sure they are staying fully hydrated. We also do heat training throughout the summer months, where they go out with the gear on and make sure their bodies are being acclimated to these kinds of weather in these temperatures," he said.
Area where it happened: