A volunteer firefighter from Bethpage was badly burned fighting a house fire Friday in Prince George's County, Maryland.
Firefighter Kevin O'Toole, a volunteer with the Bladensburg, Md. Fire Department, was in critical condition in a Washington, D.C. hospital with burns over 40 percent of his body, authorities said. Family members were en route to Maryland to be with their son.
Another firefighter was also critically injured with burns on his wind pipe. Five other firefighters were hurt in the blaze. Four have been released from a hospital; the fifth is expected to be released soon.
The firefighters entered the burning home when strong winds fanned the flames and trapped the firefighters.
Details of the fire were reported by the RiverdalePark/UniversityPark Patch, located in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. and a sister publication of
Meanwhile, audio from the fire department's response is available from Statter 911, a Washington, D.C. area blog devoted to the fire service.
The victims were taken to the Burn Unit at the Washington Hospital Center.
