Since he was blown up in a gas explosion, Michael Basile says his life has been a poop sundae, only he did not use the word poop.
Basile was one of the city firefighters injured when Score’s Gentlemen’s Club exploded on Nov. 23, 2012. The blast leveled the club, damaged several buildings on Worthington and Chestnut streets, and injured at least 18. The blast blew out Basile’s ears and injured his hand, and he had trouble breathing in the thick, heavy smoke. Still, he spotted and rescued two bloodied children who staggered out of a building near ground zero. Not long afterward, he felt irritable and anxious among family and co-workers, and became fearful of being out in public.
The symptoms were diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.