A man suffered third-degree burns over his entire body after a vehicle fire near East Carrollton on Friday evening, according to the New Orleans Fire Department. Firefighters found him near the burning car, and he was rushed to a nearby hospital while crews worked to keep the flames from consuming an occupied duplex next door.
According to FOX 8, the department said a man sustained third-degree burns to his entire body after the car fire broke out near East Carrollton. Firefighters located him near the vehicle with those burns, and New Orleans EMS transported him to the hospital, per WGNO.
The full extent of his injuries was not known as of Friday night, but he was alert and able to respond to first responders at the scene, the station's report notes. WGNO reports that crews were initially dispatched to investigate smoke near the 7800 block of Spruce Street, and that the call was then changed to a medical response before firefighters arrived and found a vehicle ablaze in the driveway at 7821 Spruce St.
Flames Crept Toward a Two-Story Duplex
Firefighters arriving on scene saw flames extending toward an occupied two-story duplex next to the burning vehicle, according to the same outlet's account. The fire department requested a full one-alarm personnel response as crews worked to keep the blaze from spreading into the residence. Fire crews ultimately contained the blaze to the vehicle itself, though the duplex's exterior façade still sustained mild to moderate damage.
Six NOFD units and 20 Fire Operations personnel were used to bring the incident under control around 6:30 p.m. Friday, per the same account. The State Fire Marshal and NOFD investigative personnel are now looking into the fire and what sparked it, while the fire department separately said it is investigating the cause.
A Prior East Carrollton Fire, For Context
The neighborhood has seen serious fire activity before. In March 2024, New Orleans firefighters battled a two-alarm fire that damaged three homes in the East Carrollton area, according to NOLA.com. That Hickory Street blaze required sixteen NOFD units and 47 firefighters, who had it under control by 11:48 a.m., and no injuries were reported in that incident. Friday's car fire and resulting burn injury mark a far more serious outcome for the same part of the city, though the available evidence does not establish any broader pattern connecting the two events.
The cause of Friday's fire remained unconfirmed as investigators continued their work. No further details on the injured man's identity or condition had been released.
