Firefighter injured in afternoon fire

An afternoon house fire has left a firefighter injured and done significant damage to a home.  Luckily the firefighter suffered only minor injures when part of the roof collapsed on him. He was treated at the scene for his injuries but will be sent to the hospital to be checked out.

The house caught fire around one this afternoon in Orchard Mesa in the 2900 block of Jon Hall Street. Nobody was in the home at the time of the fire. Crews worked to contain the blaze but the home suffered significant damage. Fire officials believe the fire started outside and moved into the home.

“It looks… like the fire might've started outside and got into the interior of the home. When crews arrived, they had lots of flame and smoke and they made entry to the house through the front door. While they were inside they had a small roof collapse, a ceiling collapse in the kitchen area… and one of those firefighters was involved in that collapse”, says Mike Page, Public Information Officer for the Grand Junction Fire Department.

Firefighters used some new tools on today's fire.  Instead of just water, the fire trucks now carry a water-foam mixture. This helps combat the flames in concealed spaces and has  better absorbency.

The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.  The homeowners do have family in the area so they're be staying with them for the time being.