Falmouth firefighter falls through floor to basement fighting house fire. What we know.

Zane Razzaq, Cape Cod Times
Updated ·2 min read

FALMOUTH — A firefighter fell through the burned-out first floor and into the basement of an East Falmouth home that was on fire Sunday afternoon, according to Falmouth Fire Chief Timothy Smith.

The firefighter was rescued and flown by medical helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he is in stable condition. He was one of three firefighters hospitalized fighting the three-alarm blaze that erupted on Rivers Edge Road, according to Jake Wark, a spokesperson for the state Department of Fire Services.

"(Firefighters) just did one heck of a job, not only getting him out of the building and one of their comrades being injured but then having to turn and to work on extinguishing the fire, which was very significant."

Falmouth and other area firefighters responded to a fire that broke out at 22 Rivers Edge Road Sunday afternoon. Reports of smoke coming from the roof were reported by a neighbor sometime after 1 p.m., Falmouth Fire Department Chief Timothy Smith said.
Falmouth and other area firefighters responded to a fire that broke out at 22 Rivers Edge Road Sunday afternoon. Reports of smoke coming from the roof were reported by a neighbor sometime after 1 p.m., Falmouth Fire Department Chief Timothy Smith said.

A neighbor first reported seeing smoke coming from the roof sometime after 1 p.m., Smith said.

One firefighter made a mayday call after falling through the floor and into the basement. Firefighters were able to access a bulkhead and enter the basement to rescue him. His injuries are significant but not believed to be life-threatening, according to Wark and Smith.

"It happened right in front of the personnel, so they had the ability to maintain some contact with him, but they had no ability to get him from the first floor," Smith said, "especially since the structure was so compromised at that point, that they had to be very careful about going any further."

A second injured firefighter sustained minor injuries, while a third one suffered a knee injury. Both are being treated at Falmouth Hospital.

The home was unoccupied, and the homeowners had closed down the house for the season, Smith said.

The house is likely a total loss, he said.

A firefighter uses a chainsaw to open up a wall on the second floor of a home on 22 Rivers Edge Road in Falmouth that caught fire Sunday afternoon. Falmouth and other area firefighters responded to the scene.
A firefighter uses a chainsaw to open up a wall on the second floor of a home on 22 Rivers Edge Road in Falmouth that caught fire Sunday afternoon. Falmouth and other area firefighters responded to the scene.

Massachusetts State Police fire investigators assigned to the State Fire Marshal's office and a Department of Fire Services rehab unit responded to support the Falmouth Fire Department.

Several Cape fire departments responded to help Sunday. Firefighters and equipment from Sandwich, Hyannis, Bourne, Joint Base Cape Cod and the Providence Canteen, at least, were spotted at the scene.

Wark said the origin and cause of the fire remain under investigation.

Times Photographer Merrily Cassidy contributed to the reporting of this story.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: UPDATED: Falmouth firefighter falls through burned floor into basement