BOSTON (WHDH) - A Boston firefighter escaped serious injury Wednesday night when a fire truck ladder collapsed at the scene of a two-alarm blaze in Mattapan. Now officials say they’re investigating what caused the malfunction.
Firefighters responding at 7:40 p.m. to a fire in a three-story, multi-family home on Duke Street were met by heavy smoke on the third floor, a fire department spokesman said. As they battled the blaze, Tower Ladder 10 malfunctioned, causing a ladder with an attached bucket to drop against the house.
Although no one was on the ladder at the time of the malfunction, one firefighter was in the bucket that fell a few feet. Officials said the firefighter was uninjured.
The Boston Firefighters Union President, Rich Paris, said the firefighter who was in the bucket is now doing well, “He’s a great guy, he’s very quiet… He thanked me this morning and called me and said ‘thanks for showing up.'” When Paris asked the firefighter how he was doing, he said, “Good, another day.”
Boston Fire Commissioner Joseph Finn said had the ladder not fallen against the house, the firefighter could have been seriously injured.
(Listen to the moment the fire ladder collapsed, beginning at 4:15.)
At a press conference this morning, Mayor Martin J. Walsh said he’s “grateful no one got hurt.”
“Part of our plan here is to rebuild a whole new fleet of trucks, both engines and the ladder trucks,” Walsh said. “We want to make sure we have the best technology in the city of Boston.”
Finn said the department’s trucks are regularly serviced and there was no sign anything was wrong with the ladder. The department’s motor squad responded to the scene and the cause of the malfunction is being investigated.
The building’s 15 residents have been displaced. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
This is a developing news story, 7News will post additional information as it becomes available.
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