At 0748 hours Truck 33 Was alerted for the house on fire with multiple calls. While en route PSC advised Battalion Chief 1 that they received a call for an outside fire as well as multiple calls with multiple different address for a townhouse that was on fire on Joyceton way in Company 46’s first due. Battalion 1 stated he had “heavy smoke in the area” and started the working fire dispatch. First arriving units went on the scene with a 3 story in the rear end of the row townhouse with fire showing all three floors. Command had Engine 37 advance their line from side Charlie and had Engine 6 advance from side Alpha from division 1. Truck 33 arrived on the scene and split into two teams. The exterior team placed over 75 feet of ground ladders, the interior team worked with Engine Co. 6 on the interior. As soon as the interior team made entry the Officer from Engine 6 did a face to face with the officer from Truck 33 and advise that they had fire in the basement. Crews worked through a thick smoke condition to locate basement steps. just as the crew from Engine Co. 6 located the steps they went to advance down when the basement stairway collapsed. Engine 6 immediately called for the mayday stating there were two firemen down in the basement, Truck 33 advised command of a very spongey floor on division one. A member from the exterior team heard the mayday call and ran to the Truck to get an 8 foot ladder and handed it to the OIC at the door. As the ladder was making its way inside to be placed where the stairs use to sit, firefighters that were operating in the basement helped walk out the downed firefighters and the mayday was cleared. Truck 33 continued to work with the crew from 6 and extinguished fire on the first floor and advanced up to the second floor where the truck opened up for the Engine and they extinguished the fire on the second floor and in the attic. Command scaled the incident back and Truck 33 returned to Station 33.

Photo credit WLHVFD Co.28