Two firefighters suffered minor injuries at a clutter-filled, vacant home Wednesday in Springfield, Illinois.
The State Journal-Register (http://bit.ly/WlAfZK) reported that fire crews found zero-visibility conditions and debris stacked head-high in the residence. One firefighter was bitten by a stray cat while another cut his knee on a nail while crawling through the house. A woman was also injured when she tripped over a hose outside the house.
Firefighters had a hard time locating and accessing the fire, which reportedly began in the basement and worked its way up a wall to the second floor of the home.
Read additional details about the incident at http://bit.ly/WlAfZK.
“Hoarder” homes, sometimes known in fire service parlance as “Collyer’s Mansions,” present extremely difficult and dangerous conditions for firefighters. For more on these hazards, consider Hoarding: A Fire Prevention and Response Concern, FDs Join VA Task Force to Target Dangerous Hoarding and Cleveland (OH) Fire Department Weighs Hoarders Task Force.
