Injured firefighter remains hospitalized

One of two firefighters who suffered an electrical shock while fighting a fire Monday in Post Falls remained hospitalized Tuesday.

Kootenai County Fire and Rescue spokesman Jim Lyon said the firefighter, whose name was not released, was to remain overnight Tuesday at Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d’Alene for continued treatment and observation.

Lyon didn’t have details but said the firefighter continued to have problems in his legs as a result of the shock he suffered while rescuing his partner on a hose line.

The man who remained hospitalized was in second position on the hose when he noticed the firefighter holding the nozzle was being overcome by the electrical tingling both of them were feeling. The No. 2 firefighter grabbed his partner’s air tank to pull him back and experienced a greater shock than either man had previously felt.

Officials don’t know how the shock occurred but speculated that an electrical current may have traveled to the firefighters through the water they were spraying. The air tanks are made of fiberglass, but have metal parts. The second firefighter may have established a better ground for the electricity when he grabbed the tank, Lyon said.

The No. 2 firefighter helped his partner down a stairway from an apartment atop the Stow and Go Self Storage office at 410 N. Greensferry Road, and a Coeur d’Alene Fire Department battalion chief assisted the helper, Lyon said.

A third firefighter suffered a minor leg injury, and a fourth hurt his back when he fell from a ladder that slipped.

“He’s feeling pretty good, but he’s just very sore,” Lyon said of the man who fell. “A lot of sore bodies is what we’ve got here.”

The fire started on a deck connected to the second-story apartment, but investigators haven’t yet agreed on the cause, Lyon said.