3 firefighters home from hospital after Steele Creek home caught fire

CHARLOTTE — Three firefighters are recovering from injuries suffered while fighting a house fire Sunday morning.

The Steele Creek Volunteer Fire Department says crews were called to Rocky Gap Lane just after 6:30 a.m. At the scene, firefighters were met with a large home fully engulfed in flames.

While fighting the fire, an outside brick wall collapsed on three firefighters who were operating the hose line, trapping them for a short time. All three were quickly rescued from the rubble and sent to the hospital for treatment.

Steele Creek Fire says two firefighters were treated for minor injuries and released; the third was released from a local trauma center for more evaluation Sunday night.

The Steele Creek Fire Department worked with the Charlotte Fire Department to fight and control the blaze.

The department says that because of poor structural integrity and a chance for hidden spot fires, crews stayed at the scene until late Sunday afternoon.

Officials say the family who lives there all made it out safely and none were injured.

‘Deep gratitude for our firefighters’

Channel 9 veteran crime reporter Glenn Counts was able to catch up with neighbor Ali Mehrizi, who was relaxing at home when he heard the sound of the flames and rushed to the scene.

“So we woke up this morning, walked out, and saw the house completely engulfed in flames,” Mehrizi said.

Sayera Qasim lives few houses down.

“We don’t always think about what could go wrong,” she said.

As firefighters remained on scene, Qasim set up a table full of donuts as a token of appreciation.

“Deep gratitude for our firefighters, and we’re thinking about the gentlemen who got hurting during the process,” she said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Mecklenburg County Fire Marshal’s Office.

“Our job as firefighters is dangerous. The positions we need to be in, essentially, to effectively save lives and the property,” said Steele Creek Fire assistant chief Jason Hardin. “So yesterday is a good example of the guys doing that exact thing.”

The home has since been deemed unsafe by the fire marshal.

This is a developing story; check back at wsoctv.com for updates.

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