Bridgeport (CT) blaze leads to 2 firefighter deaths

[krispos42]

Source: Connecticut Post

BRIDGEPORT -- Lt. Steven Velazquez and Firefighter Michel Baik were on the third-floor of the wood-frame home at 41 Elmwood Ave., checking for hot spots and making sure there were no people in the smoldering blaze. Then trouble hit. The two sent mayday signals back to dispatch.

Within minutes, the fire department's rapid intervention team found the pair on the floor, unconscious, and gave them CPR.

The two men could not be revived.

Hours later, a somber and distraught Mayor Bill Finch at a news conference talked about the two, both family men with young children. Velazquez was Finch's neighbor, and the mayor recalled pinning his badge on him when he was promoted to lieutenant in February. Baik, he said, was a rookie with two years on the job.

Fire officials were too upset to attend the press conference, Finch said, adding Chief Brian Rooney, who was out of state when the fire hit, sped back to Bridgeport to be with his men. "They're just too emotional to talk about it," Finch said.

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Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Bridgeport-blaze-leads-to-2-firefighter-deaths-589614.php

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It was about 95 degrees and very humid yesterday. One other firefighter fell (or jumped) out of a window and broke an ankle; two others were treated for heat exhaustion.


:patriot: :patriot:

[Historic NY]

1. Sad....something went very wrong.

[Jennicut]

2. This is making me cry. My best friend's boyfriend is a volunteer fireman in Wolcott.

Fighting fires is almost always a very dangerous job. My heart breaks for the families of two men and their families and coworkers.
And it has been oppressively hot in CT lately, yesterday was pretty bad. We spent most of the day in the pool.

[cowman]

3. Our Dept.

got the word this morning.
R.I.P. brother Firefighters.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

4. Firefighters are the only real heroes we have left.

They're the only public service branch who do their job without trying to screw us over or beat us up. There's no politics in a fire.

RIP, heroes. :cry:

[cowman]

5. Thats so true

when we respond to a fire, whether it be wild land or structure, I don't give a damn that most of my colleagues are Tea Party members, at that point they are my lifeline.