Fontana Wildfire Sends Firefighter To Intensive Care Unit
A San Bernardino County firefighter was recovering from smoke inhalation and other injuries he suffered when a shift in the winds sent smoke and gasses down his windpipe.
Firefighters responded to a brush fire in a grassy field near Cherry Avenue in Fontana on Tuesday around 2 p.m., according to a fire department spokesman.
The fire quickly spread to an area containing parked tractor trailers waiting service repairs, igniting three of the trailers.
While fighting the tractor trailer blaze, the wind shifted, causing heat and smoke from the fire, along with hot gases, to blow and encompass firefighters.
Soon afterward, a San Bernardino County firefighter experienced smoke inhalation with shortness of breath and soreness to the throat, causing his airway to start closing. He was transported to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton where he was recovering from his injury.
The firefighter remains in the Intensive Care Unit where doctors are closely monitoring his air passage. He is expected to make a full recovery.
In about 40 minutes, 28 firefighters from San Bernardino County Fire and the Rancho Cucamonga Fire Dept. brought the blaze under control and held the fire at two acres.
Three of the empty tractor trailers were destroyed. Firefighters kept the fire from damaging several other trailers and equipment on the lot.
The cause of the fire is believed to be suspicious in nature. San Bernardino County Fire Investigators are asking for your assistance. If you have information related to the fire, please call investigators at 909-356-3805 or We-Tip at 800-47-ARSON (800-472-7766).
