STATter 911: Charlie Shyab meets the press. The DC firefighter tells how 4 firefighters became trapped in a burning row house. New details on a very close call.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Charlie Shyab meets the press. The DC firefighter tells how 4 firefighters became trapped in a burning row house. New details on a very close call.

FF Charlie Shyab takes us through the events that led to the close call at 619 4th Street, NE.

Watch our 5:00 PM story with FF Shyab

See our previous coverage of this fire, including raw video from DC Fire & EMS photographer Vito Maggiolo

With compression garments to help the skin grafts heal on his wrists and forearms, Charlie Shyab says he "can't wait to get back to work". Just when that will happen is not clear, but Shyab says he is feeling better every day.

The firefighter for the DC Fire & EMS Department spent 15 days in the Washington Hospital Center Burn Unit and returns there regularly for treatment. He also visits Sgt. Michael LaCore who was more seriously burned in the October 29th fire on 4th Street, NE. Firefighters Kenneth Humphries and Doublas Donnelly were also hurt, but they were released from the hospital within days of the fire.

The crew from Engine 4 was the fifth due engine on the box alarm. They took a 350 foot 1 1/2 inch line into the row house next to the home where the fire started. Firefighter Shyab says they could see from the outside there was fire on the second floor of exposure D, but that Sgt. LaCore first checked the ground floor for fire. Satisfied there wasn't any, the crew moved to attack the fire upstairs.

Firefighter Shyab was on the nozzle and says he and Sgt. LaCore were able to quickly knock down the bulk of the fire in a second floor bedroom. Firefighter Shyab then looked out the window in the rear and saw a large amount of fire coming up from the first floor. A videotape by DC Fire & EMS photographer Vito Maggiolo shows fire rapidly extending from the first floor window and door on side C and traveling outside the building to the second floor. Shyab says as he went to tell the rest of the crew, Humphries and Donnelly, who were in the hallway, rushed in to say there was fire also coming up the interior stairwell.

Charlie Shyab says the large amount of fire overpowered the single hose line. Shyab said he felt his arms and legs burning. Without saying a word, Shyab said they all knew their only option was to get out as fast as they could. Each of them crawled quickly and dove down the stairs to the front door.

Shyab can't say for sure why Sgt. LaCore's burns were so serious, but has a theory on some of his own burns. Shyab believes, being on the nozzle, his gloves and pants were wet and he was likely scalded by the steam from the sudden intense heat.

Charlie Shyab started his firefighting career at the Burtonsville VFD in Montgomery County, MD in 2000. Shyab was a career firefighter in Arlington County, VA before being hired by DC Fire & EMS in 2004.

After more than 4 weeks of recovery, Charlie Shyab misses firefighting. His girlfriend, Robin Rider, says Charlie is getting antsy. Laughing, Rider agrees it would be good for Charlie to get back to work, soon.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 8:15 PM

Comments:

Oh my god... I can not believe the amount of time the FD was on scene with charged lines letting the first floor free burn with companies working above it!! Was there some issue of lack of direction that day? The outcome of this incident very well could have been avoided.

# posted by

Firefighter22 : November 30, 2007 4:51 PM

You obviously don't know the whole story. If you think for a minute that a varsity level dept like DC would let that first floor free burn with brothers on the second floor you've lost your mind. You heard the man say how quickly conditions changed on them. Keep in mind that the IC sent the company to an exposure with no fire visible from the front. The companies in the rear are waiting until they are told to move because they are expecting companies to come in from the front...thats what you do in an adult run fire dept. Please take your sorry, country, outer-suburb
opinion back to where the corn grows high

# posted by

not a tick chief : November 30, 2007 11:23 PM

Not a tick chief is right. They were burned bad enough. It could have been a lot worse with opposing hoselines... When your used to throwing water from the outside though, you can throw it in from all directions, huh firefighter 22...?

# posted by

Anonymous : December 1, 2007 7:18 PM

Firefighter22....I think 1 your amazed that we were inside. 2 this would be unheard of from where you work...Im sure somewhere in the surround and drown county like Fairfax. DC son is the most aggressive interior firefighting dept in the country..99% of the time when we send companies to exposures there usually isnt any fire. Lack of direction...You had Battalion Chief inside 1 rowhouse which would never happen in your vest wearing dept. The other chief was in command. You obviously have no idea what your talking about when you say free burn. We dont sit there and watch things burn. You think if someone was outside knowing there was a company upstairs in the exposure that no one would tell them...Take your yard breathing tactics back to where they belong...

# posted by

HOOKMAN : December 2, 2007 4:49 AM

Hookman, I hope all of your brothers heal quickly, both physically and emotionally. There are always Monday morning quarterbacks in our industry. It is the beauty of the fire service...everyone could have done it better if it were their fire. God bless all of you, and may the rest of us learn from this story so it doesn't happen a second time.

# posted by

Hosehumper : December 5, 2007 9:06 AM