Bedroom fire at Marble Falls home scorches firefighters; crew saves kittens
The equipment worn by Marble Falls Fire Rescue firefighter Michael Strobo was melted during a house fire in the 1400 block of Broadway Avenue on June 22. Strobo escaped with an injury resembling a severe sunburn on his left shoulder. 'The gear certainly did what it was designed to do,' he said. Courtesy photo
CONNIE SWINNEY • PICAYUNE STAFF
MARBLE FALLS — A bedroom heaped with furniture, storage items and clothing turned a fire call into a close call for Marble Falls Fire Rescue firefighters Michael Strobo and Chris Harrison.The duo doused a blaze just after 9:30 a.m. June 22 in a storage room/bedroom in the 1400 block of Broadway Avenue.
A 7-year-old boy at the home discovered a candle burning in a mattress in the room, fire officials said.
He ran to the Air Evac Lifeteam facility, adjacent to the fire station, as family members drove to the fire hall entrance, alerting fire personnel on duty about the blaze, officials said.
“There was a lot of material in the room. They had a lot of storage in there, clothes and combustible items. It added to the fuel load of the fire,” Marble Falls Fire Rescue Chief Johnny Caraway said. “(Strobo and Harrison) were able to get to the fire, but once they got into the room, it rolled over on them and burned them.”
When a fire reaches a so-called “rollover point,” gases emitted from burning items cause fire to crawl across the ceiling, resulting in a burning oven effect.
Strobo and Harrison entered the room, while other crew members, the Marble Falls Volunteer Fire Department and the Horseshoe Bay Fire Department provided backup.
“When we opened the door (to the room), (with) the combination of the ventilation, the high heat from the door being closed, the contents of the room and the introduction of oxygen, we experienced a rapid increase in fire growth,” Strobo said.
Before he realized it, the heat and fire melted parts of Strobo’s helmet and faceguard.
“I could see the discoloration on my coat beginning to happen. I could feel the heat on my shoulder,” Strobo said. “We held our ground and kept it contained to that bedroom. … I didn’t know until I went outside and someone said ‘look at your helmet.'”
Strobo suffered injuries resembling a severe sunburn on his left shoulder. He was treated at the scene by Marble Falls Area EMS.
“The gear certainly did what it was designed to do,” he said.
EMS also treated one of the home’s occupants, the boy’s great-grandmother, who singed her hair when she attempted to go back into the room to retrieve items, fire officials said. After the fire was contained, crew members searched for and found two kittens in another area of the home.
Strobo and Harrison both continued their shifts. Caraway said he expected no less from his staff.
“It was a challenge to them,” Caraway said. “It’s always something we face when we go into these fires.”
connie@thepicayune.com