"They asked us to go inside and start checking for hot spots in the ceiling," said J.R. Schultz. That's the last thing the 6-year veteran of the Upper Darby Fire Department remembers before waking up in the hospital.
The living room ceiling collapsed while firefighters responded to the June 8 blaze on the 200 block of Sheffield Road in Upper Darby. "It knocked everybody down on the ground and we had to actually dig J.R. out, he was totally covered in plaster," said Sam Caroluzzi, firefighter.
Caroluzzi and fellow firefighter John Heffernan Jr. sustained minor injuries in the collapse. The family living inside the home, including 2 adults, 5 kids, and 2 pets escaped the house unharmed.
NBC10's Deanna Durante spoke exclusively with J.R. Schultz at his home on Tuesday. He says he was unaware that he was carried from the home unconscious until he saw the video on NBC10.
"It was like an out-of-body experience because it's something I don't even recall. So to see something like, you know, your brothers carrying you out the front door strapped to a backboard and you have no idea that ever happened, it's pretty surreal," Schultz said.
His wife Stefanie describes how she felt on Friday when she pulled up to her house and saw two firefighters waiting for her outside their home.
"It was the worst feeling in the world, I almost didn't want to get out of the car," said Stefanie Schultz.
The couple has a 7-month-old son. Schultz said it could take up to a month for his injuries to heal before he can return to work.
