JOE ARENA
WIVB
Reprinted with Permission

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - It's been a dangerous past few days for Buffalo's bravest. Luckily no one was seriously hurt.


But injuries and close calls have all been part of an unpredictable week for firefighters.

It's part of the job, any firefighter will tell you that, but just days apart, five of Buffalo's bravest have fallen through the floor of a burning structure.

Last Wednesday three firefighters were injured after the floor gave out at a burning home on Mohican Avenue . Two of them were taken to ECMC with injuries. And less than three days later a different fire had the same result.

Buffalo Fire Division Chief Scott Barry said, "What happened is we had our crews inside, there was a guy from one crew that fell through the floor and a then a guy from another crew that also fell through the floor."

Division chief Barry says fighting the blaze at a funeral home on Bailey Avenue was difficult because of heavy winds which helped keep the fire going. And made it difficult to put out all the hot spots.

"It was a scary fire for us, the guys performed really really well because they were aggressive at first like they should be and were trying to protect the property here that's valuable," added Barry.

But Barry says like any fire at a certain point the lives of his men took precedent, and after two of them fell almost hip deep into a floor that was giving way.

Barry said, "It became very clear to us that we had a lot of fire underneath us and we had to come out so we really dodged a bullet tonight."

And for those of us who have no idea what these men and woman deal with on a day to day basis it's hard to understand the controlled chaos we sometimes see as onlookers

Buffalo resident Elizabeth Jacobs said, "We were watching them knock down the sides of the walls with the hoses and the top level. It was just bizarre to watch."

Even for the most experienced of firefighters, tough guys like Division Chief Barry know just how uncertain this job can be no matter how much you plan.

"It's a scary business and this was a scary night for us," added Barry.

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