Sacramento firefighter in hospital after powerlines fall, electrocute him while fighting fire

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

A firefighter is in the hospital after battling a structure fire Monday afternoon, where powerlines fell and electrocuted him, leaving him unconscious, the Sacramento Fire Department said.

Capt. Justin Sylvia, a spokesperson for the fire department, said crews were called around 2:15 p.m. to the 1900 block of Grand Avenue between Interstate 80 and South Avenue for a report of a house fire. When they got there, they saw an outbuilding engulfed in flames in an alley.

While trying to put out the flames, Sylvia said powerlines fell on the firefighter, electrocuting him and knocking him to the ground. When he regained consciousness, the firefighter was able to crawl out of the powerlines until other crew members were able to pull him to safety.

Sylvia said the firefighter suffered a serious injury, but he was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

Asked for an update late Monday, Sac Fire repeated that he was in stable condition.

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District cut power so that firefighters could keep the flames from extending to nearby homes, Sylvia said.

Two other fires sparked around a similar time to this one. In Antelope, two homes were destroyed by flames.

In Roseville, LiveCopter 3 spotted a garage that caught fire at Oakborough Avenue and Foxhollow Way.

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