Staten Island house fire leaves 5 firefighters hurt

HUGUENOT, Staten Island (WABC) -- A probationary firefighter was burned over 5 percent of his body after he fell through a collapsing floor in a three-alarm house fire on Staten Island.

The firefighter was rescued within minutes of the collapse inside the two-story home on Sinclair Avenue just before 9 p.m.

He fell through a living room floor after strong flames burned through 12 beams in a boiler room and work area in the basement.

He had just walked the living room, looking for any occupants still inside, when the floor gave way.

"The beams had burned through and he actually fell through the floor, into where the fire was," New York City Fire Department Chief of Department James Leonard said. "But fortunately, we had other firefighters down there, pushed in with a hose line and rescued him from the fire."

He sustained second- and third-degree burns on 5 percent of his body and is in stable condition at Staten Island University Hospital North.

"He is stable, but he does have some serious burns ... We were extremely, extremely lucky. It's a large house," said Leonard.

The home is in the Huguenot section.

At least four other firefighters suffered minor injuries.

The homeowners were away on vacation at the time of the fire, but family members who had been staying at the house all made it out safely.

More than 100 firefighters took about an hour to put out the three-alarm fire.