As Engine 33 of the Buffalo Fire Department battled an intense fire in the attic of an East Side home Thursday night, a firefighter became separated from his hose, disoriented and couldn't find his way out.
He tried to press the "man-down" button on his portable radio but was unable to. He took his gloves off in an effort to activate the button but could not, causing severe burns to his hands and wrists. He then followed his training by getting into a prone position and he began to conserve oxygen.
His fellow Engine 33 firefighters were able to find him.
Buffalo Fire Commissioner William Renaldo put it simply: "They saved his life."
The firefighter, whose name was not released, was in stable condition Friday at Erie County Medical Center. The injuries to his hands and wrists were third-degree burns, which go through the epidermis (outer layer) and dermis (lower layer) of the skin and sometimes affecting deeper tissues, resulting in white or blackened skin that can be numb.