Samatters Radio

  A crew of three firefighters, including Cypress Creek Fire Lieutenant Jason Corthell, ascended an exterior stairwell on a fast-moving apartment fire. The fire was inside the apartment and in the attic. The stairs, constructed of steel and concrete, were not involved in fire. The nozzleman was on the third floor landing preparing to attack the fire. Lieutenant Corthell and District Chief Sanchez were on the second floor landing advancing hose to the nozzleman. Suddenly, without warning or provocation, the stairwell collapsed, trapping the two firefighters who were on the landing. The firefighter that was on the third floor landing rode the debris down to the second floor landing and was uninjured.  Lieutenant Corthell’s radio was dislodged in the collapse and he could not call a mayday. The C-Sector commanding officer, noticing the collapse, called the mayday and deployed resources to successfully rescue the trapped firefighters. Listen as Jason describes what was going through his mind as he was trapped an