A 29-year-old Spokane firefighter who was burned while fighting a deadly apartment fire Wednesday has been transferred to a Seattle hospital's burn center, authorities say
The Spokesman-Review reports Charles McKenzie was transferred to Harborview Medical Center Wednesday night with severe burns to his upper torso and arms.
Spokane Fire Department Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer said Thursday the fire's likely cause was either smoking or an overloaded power strip found in an apartment where the blaze started. It spread quickly through the building, which didn't have a sprinkler system.
McKenzie tore the door off that apartment and was attempting to drag the male resident's body into the hall when the fire hit a flash point, spiking to temperatures Schaeffer said were likely over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit.
The fire killed a couple in their mid- to late 60s and displaced other tenants.
Cox Media Group
