A driver, a captain, and the assistant fire chief from the New Iberia Fire Department were injured in a fire and explosion at Alleman Plumbing on Hopkins Street Thursday morning.
“All I can tell you is that they are all great firemen,” said New Iberia Fire Chief Gordon Copell. “Their wives are with them.”
Gordon says units responded to a structure fire at the business. There was a gas leak inside. Then, there was an explosion.
The driver and captain were the first on the scene. They were injured in the explosion. The assistant chief soon arrived to help them, when he was also injured.
“They were all geared up in their position. The captain making entry had his gear on. I would assume the driver was flaking the hose out so he could make entry. You’re not driving to the fire in your gear.”