Plymouth Fire Company Firefighter Treated For Heat-Related Injury

NORRISTOWN, PA — A Plymouth Fire Company firefighter was treated for a minor heat-related injury after responding to the scene of a house fire in the 1400 block of Astor Street in Norristown on Tuesday.

Norristown fire chief Tom O’Donnell told Patch by phone that firefighters first arrived at the house after a fire was reported at 2:07 p.m.

The fire started on the roof and was extinguished within 20 minutes, O'Donnell said. A fire marshal investigation is ongoing, but the chief said the cause of the fire appears to be accidental.

In a Facebook post, the Plymouth Fire Company said its Ladder 43 was dispatched to assist on the fire where it helped with ventilating the roof, among other duties.

One firefighter had a minor heat-related while on the scene and was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated, the Facebook post stated. He was treated and later released.

O'Donnell said although the weather in Norristown on Tuesday wasn't extremely hot, the temperatures of a house fire combined with a firefighter's equipment can be a dangerous combination.

"Paramedics are there to provide medical rehab and make sure we stay hydrated," he said. "When you're lugging all that equipment around, it takes a toll on the body. It was hot, but I've had worse."

Neither other firefighters nor civilians were injured, he said.