Mesquite Man Killed In Oxygen Equipment Explosion That Sparked Apartment Fire, Injured Firefighter
MESQUITE (CBSDFW.COM) — One person is dead and a firefighter has been injured in a late-night blast and apartment fire in Mesquite.
The fire broke out around 11:00 p.m. at the Country Club Apartments on Pinehurst Lane, near LBJ and La Prada.
Firefighters tell CBS 11 News that they had responded to a medical call and were performing CPR on a man when oxygen equipment exploded and sparked the fire.
It's unclear if the victim died before or during the fire, but officials say flames overtook the space quickly and crews initially tried to pull the victim out of the apartment but were unsuccessful. The responding crew didn't have on fire gear while helping the patient, but quickly ran out, put on protective equipment, returned and carried the victim out.
Mesquite Fire Department Lt. Jon Moore said he has never seen anything like it. "We had the fire get into the attic and run through the entire attic. The crews were without any kind of gear on, again the apartment had completely flashed. It was a lot of fire in the apartment."
A firefighter was taken to the hospital with second-degree burns to his hand.
More than a dozen residents at the complex were evacuated and will now have to relocate because of the damage to their units.
The incident is under investigation.
