MESA, Ariz. — What should have been a routine day for the Mesa Fire Department turned into a dangerous rush to escape when the roof of a burning home began to collapse on the firefighters inside.
The Mesa Fire Department was dispatched at about 1 p.m. to a residential fire near University Drive and Greenfield Road.
The fire department received a call about a barbecue grill fire extending to a nearby residence. The resident was able to evacuate from the residence with their dog.
The flames managed to spread to the home's roof and caused extensive damage. As firefighters were attempting to extinguish the fire, a group of roughly 10 of them were cut off from the exit.
Capt. Brook Tidwell was in the home's bedroom when the roof collapsed and recalled hearing a "loud bang" as the ceiling started to crumble in the home's center.
Tidwell said the conditions inside the structure suddenly escalated due to the high heat and low visibility, so the crew of firefighters decided to break through a bedroom window and exit.
"I've had a fair amount of fire in my career, I've never had one like this," Tidwell said. "Never had one that had interior conditions changing as fast as they did...This was kind of a new thing for me."
United Mesa Fire Fighters IAFF Local 2260 released the following statement about Monday's house fire:
Mesa Firefighters were able to safely escape through a bedroom window today after becoming trapped by a roof collapse on a large house fire. Crews train on different techniques to rescue themselves and others in these instances. We are thankful for the safety of our members, and are happy to report that all injuries were minor.
This is a developing story and more info will be published as it becomes available.
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