Injured ?re?ghter back in action after house ?re

A Chapel Hill firefighter injured in a residential fire Sunday night is back in action.

The firefighter was injured when the Chapel Hill Fire Department responded to a call that lightning had struck a home at 114 Pinoak Ct.

Chapel Hill Fire Marshal Matt Lawrence said the firefighter was treated for minor smoke inhalation at UNC Hospitals and released that same night.

“There are occasions when the smoke overcomes them,” Lawrence said.

The homeowners could not be reached for comment, but Lawrence said nobody was in the house at the time.

And though the fire was contained to the front part of the attic, the fire department said damage to the property was valued at about $150,000.

Lawrence said the firefighter’s injuries were not serious, but he was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure.

He said this is not uncommon.

Though the fire department had the fire under control within an hour and a half, Lawrence said trucks stayed until 6 a.m. to make sure the fire was completely out.

He said the fire was contained to the attic, which made it more difficult to extinguish than most.

“Given the circumstances, I would say that that was a reasonable amount of time,” he said.

Lawrence said the department has seen an increase in fire calls lately, but most of them have been minor incidents of students setting off fire alarms.

“I think with students back in town our calls have increased,” he said

In addition to the six trucks and 20 personnel sent by the Chapel Hill Fire Department, one truck and five personnel were sent from the New Hope Fire Department.

The reinforcements are part of a mutual aid agreement the Chapel Hill Fire Department has with other departments in the area. The closest fire department to the call also sends a truck.

Lawrence said the department has agreements with the New Hope, Durham, Chatham and Carrboro fire departments.

New Hope Fire Chief Mike Tapp said his department often responds to Chapel Hill fire calls.

“We typically go to Chapel Hill when there’s a house fire on the north side of town,” he said.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.