As firefighters battled flames inside a burning home in Royalton Sunday night, the floor suddenly collapsed.
Debris rained down on a Middletown firefighter, trapping him and prompting a county-wide emergency rescue response.
Firefighters used saws to cut away the debris and free the trapped firefighter, according to details in a news release from the Royalton mayor Monday morning. The firefighter suffered injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment, according to Mayor James Fry. The exact nature of the injuries and the firefighter’s condition were not disclosed.
The firefighter was taken to a trauma center, according to a post on the Progress Fire Department Facebook Page.
The incident began at 9:14 p.m. when a neighbor called 911 to report flames erupting from a home in the 500 block of Water Street where a disabled man lived.
Firefighters had to work from outside the home to put out the fire after the floor collapsed.
As the building grew increasingly unstable, crews installed metal and wood supports at the front of the home to prevent additional collapses while they worked to get to the man inside. The house reignited multiple times during their efforts.
Eventually, the fire was extinguished but the home was destroyed and a body was found inside.
A man died in the fire, Fry said. His name was not released. The Dauphin County Coroner’s Office transported the body from the scene around 12:15 a.m. Monday.
The fatal fire will be investigated by the Royalton Police Department, Dauphin County Coroner’s office and Dauphin Fire Investigation Task Force.
“Our thoughts and prayers to the fire victim’s family and friends,” Fry said in a news release. " A thanks to all the fire fighters and first responders that were involved in this incident and special thanks to the injured fire fighter who sustained injury putting out the fire.”
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