FRISCO, Texas — Two Frisco firefighters were hospitalized after a blaze that also destroyed a family’s home Sunday afternoon.
Just after 4 p.m., flames started in a back garage of the home on Brazoria Drive, just south of West University Drive. The fire then quickly moved into the attic.
Frisco Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner said they still aren’t sure what started the fire. They were able to put it out relatively quickly, and no people or pets were hurt, but the family that lives at the home was displaced.
With temperatures around 100 degrees, the department struggled to fight the flames in gear they said is both not breathable, and heavy. Two firefighters were taken to the hospital for heat-related illnesses but are expected to be OK.
The fire was quickly elevated to a two-alarm fire, meaning more units were called in to assist specifically because of the temperatures.
“Because of the heat, the incident commander, the person in charge of the fire scene knew that the heat was going to be a factor with our firefighters so they went ahead and called for that second alarm so that we had people there that they could switch out people more frequently and they could share more of those duties and those tasks,” Kistner said.
The plan of extra units for a rotation system has been a long-term policy for the department during periods of extreme heat.
Kistner said they have both regular checks in place and when firefighters share concerns about heat exhaustion, EMS crews on the scene will assist in checking them out, as well.