Two fire officers remained warded in hospital last night after being injured when they came into contact with high tension wires while responding to a fire in El Dorado yesterday morning.
According to reports, around 11.45 am fire officers from the Tunapuna Fire Station received a report of a fire at a house at Lackpat Street, El Dorado.
Neighbours noticed the smoke and contacted the Fire Service as the owner of the home, Earl John, his common-law wife Joanne Peters and nephew Clint John reportedly left home around 10 am to go to work.
They arrived on the scene within minutes and quickly managed to contain the fire to the house where it originated.
However, as they were attempting to extinguish the fire, two of the officers made contact with the burnt-out electricity wires leading to the house.
The officers, who were only identified as Fire Officers Baldeo and Hypolite were wearing protective equipment but still received minor burns to their hands.
“They received a minor shock but as a precaution we sent them to hospital,” a colleague who was on the scene said when contacted yesterday.
Baldeo and Hypolite’s colleagues were unable to save John’s home and an attached wood working workshop, which were both completely destroyed.
The officers remained warded at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope for observations up to late yesterday. They were visited by several of their colleagues as well as senior officers including Assistant Chief Fire Officer Mervyn Layne.
A senior officer who visited the duo described their injuries as minor compared to injuries sustained by other officers in similar circumstances in the past.
“It was not as bad as at first seemed. They were wearing their gloves but felt it as they were water soaked in trying to fighting the fire,” the officer said as he sought to give an explanation for the incident.
Fire investigators were on the scene of the fire up to late yesterday as they were attempting to determine its cause.