3 HFD firefighters undergoing surgery after getting trapped, burned in SE Houston apartment fire

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Three firefighters with the Houston Fire Department Station 46 have been hospitalized after suffering burns while battling a fire at an apartment complex Tuesday morning in southeast Houston, officials said.

Crews were called at about 5:30 a.m. to 4840 Jarmese St. About five minutes after firefighters arrived, three of them got trapped by a heavy door, prompting the mayday call.

The firefighters' equipment, helmets, and air packs all melted, Whitmire said, adding the men were "very close to losing their lives."

Their colleagues pulled them away from the unit, and the firefighters were transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital.

"The gloves looked like they were just a piece of plastic. There was a lot of heat. All the dark smoke was down," David White, whose unit the fire started in, said. "You couldn't see anything, and the fire was just coming. The wind was just blowing it, blowing it inside in the house."

"We are asking for prayers for three of our own Houston firefighters who are being treated at Hermann Hospital for significant burns," said Marty Lancton, president of the Professional Fire Fighters Association, on X, formerly Twitter.

The firefighters all have varying degrees of burn injuries, primarily on their hands, legs, and neck area, Chief Thomas Muñoz said.

Officials identified the firefighters as Sr. Capt Edward Escamilla, Jonathan Guzman, and Darren Jones. They added that the firefighters, who were alert at the hospital, will have a long road to recovery.

"They fought for me, though. They fought for everybody over there. They got families, too, they got kids," White said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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