Three Gresham firefighters were injured last Thursday when a fire broke out in a duplex on the 1300 block of Southeast 182nd Street, with one remaining in critical condition, the local fire department reported.
Responding to a 9 pm call, crews from Gresham Fire Department and Portland Fire and Rescue managed to contain the blaze to a single unit, ensuring no civilians were harmed, but not without a toll on their own, firefighters Spencer Tejedas was one of the first responders and he suffered severe burns across more than 45% of his body according to information garnered from a Gresham Fire Department release.
The two other injured firefighters were treated at the Legacy Emanuel Medical Center and have since been released, while Tejedas remains hospitalized, sedated, and intubated at the Oregon Burn Center facing his critical injuries head-on.
Gresham Fire Chief Scott Lewis expressed the gravity of such incidents, saying “Incidents of this nature are a harrowing reminder that despite our best efforts with robust training and protective gear, just how dangerous the job of a firefighter is,” the affect of his words made more profound as they resonate with the not uncommon plight of firemen across the nation, the Chief's comments were reported in the department's statement.
While firefighter Tejedas fights for his life, the Gresham Fire Department requests that the Tejedas family be given their privacy. All further inquiries have been directed to the department's public information officer at [email protected].
