Two firefighters were shocked after fighting a blaze in North Philadelphia Monday morning.
The firefighters were pulling a metal ladder away from the roof of a home along the 2400 block of West Norris Street around 10 a.m. when it hit a high-voltage power line, Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer said.
Electricity shot down the aluminum ladder and into firefighters Robert Taylor and Eugene Coulter.
Taylor, a 14-year veteran, suffered third-degree burns to his foot, officials said.
“He hit that first electrical hot wire and his body just stiffened up and he fell right back," witness Rodney Whetstone told NBC10. Taylor landed on a discarded mattress along the sidewalk.
Coulter, a 9-year veteran, also suffered minor injuries. Both were rushed to Temple University Hospital in stable condition.
“When there’s a fire, we can’t sit and wait for PECO to turn off the electric. We have to go and service, search, extinguish the fire," Sawyer said. The men were following protocol, he added.
The house fire was minor and brought under control in four minutes. No one was hurt inside the home.
Coulter was to be released from the hospital Monday evening, while Taylor is staying overnight in the hospital's burn unit for observations.
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“This could have been a much worse incident when you think about it. So those members are blessed. And like I said we operate in this environment every single day," Sawyer said.
