A Sedona Fire District firefighter had to be treated for second-degree burns following an incident at one of the area’s fire stations.
According to Fire Marshal Gary Johnson on Thursday, Oct. 27, at approximately 8:30 p.m. crews responded to a reported structure fire at SFD Station No. 5, which is located in Oak Creek Canyon just north of Indian Gardens. Emergency crews located a fire on the back patio of the building, involving a portable barbecue, which had been extinguished by a station crew member.
A SFD firefighter was flown to Maricopa County Burn Center by air ambulance as a result of sustaining burns to about 15 percent of his upper torso, Chief Kris Kazian said. The SFD captain, whose name is not being released, managed to call 911 after an explosion involving a propane tank on the barbecue.
“He’s in good spirits but he has a long road ahead of him,” Kazian said. “The outpouring of support has been impressive, especially among the SFD family. The entire team went on autopilot and jumped in to fill specific roles, which has enabled this tragic situation to have a successful outcome.”
Kazian said the cause of the incident is still under investigation. A single sprinkler head, located just inside the station, activated and limited the fire from spreading into the building. Within a day, the station was back in operation. He said that without the sprinkler system, which the SFD encourages all businesses to have, the outcome of the fire would have been much worse.
