From the U.S. Fire Administration (January 29, 2022): On Monday, Jan. 24, 2022, the Baltimore City (MD) Fire Department responded to a fire inside a three-story, vacant rowhouse in the 200 block of South Stricker Street.
Lieutenant Paul Butrim, Acting Lieutenant Kelsey Sadler, Firefighter/Paramedic Kenneth Lacayo, and EMT/Firefighter John McMaster were working to put out the flames inside the structure when a partial collapse occurred. The firefighters became trapped.
A Mayday was called and the firefighters were removed from the debris. Lieutenant Butrim passed away at the scene. Acting Lieutenant Sadler and Firefighter/Paramedic Lacayo passed away shortly after arrival at the hospital. EMT/Firefighter McMaster was critically injured.
Firefighter/Paramedic Kelsey Sadler, who was acting lieutenant that day, was posthumously promoted to lieutenant. Investigation into the incident continues.
Update (5:19 p.m.): Three firefighters have died after a collapse at a structure fire earlier today in the city of Baltimore.
Baltimore Firefighters IAFF Local 734 announced the line-of-duty deaths of Lieutenant Paul Butrim, Firefighter-Paramedic Kelsey Sadler, and Firefighter-Paramedic Kenneth Lacayo.
Another firefighter, EMT/firefighter John McMaster, remains in the hospital on life support, according to reports.
Original story: One Baltimore (MD) firefighter was seriously injured and several others were rescued after becoming trapped at the scene of a structure fire in the city.
According to the department’s Twitter feed, Baltimore fire crews were responding to a two-alarm fire in a vacant building in the 200blk of S. Sticker St. One firefighter was transported with serious injuries, and two other members were rescued from the building.
According to IAFF Local 734, crews arrived to find fire showing from all three floors of a three-story row home. A Mayday was declared after a collapse on the fireground. One of the trapped members was removed by the special rescue team in serious condition, the other in unknown condition.
According to Baltimore Fire Chief Niles Ford, firefighters were inside battling the fire when a partial collapse occurred, trapping four members. One firefighter was immediately pulled out and the other three remained trapped. Immediately rescuers removed piles of debris to locate the trapped members. Within an hour of the fire, crews were able to remove two of the firefighters and transported them to Shock Trauma.
