Two firefighters were taken to hospital Thursday night following a blaze in North Preston, N.S.
Fire crews were called to the home on Simmonds Street around 6:30 p.m.
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The home was unoccupied at the time, but firefighters conducted a search.
A set of stairs collapsed, sending one firefighter tumbling into the basement and sustaining a lower leg injury. A second firefighter pulled him out of the blaze, but somehow knocked his breathing apparatus from his face causing smoke inhalation.
“We’re quite proud of that firefighter,” said divisional fire chief Dave Meldrum. “It was quite a significant effort to rescue their partner firefighter.”
Both were kept at the Dartmouth General Hospital for observation and later released.
A third firefighter injured his back in a separate incident while fighting the blaze.
The cause of the fire remains unclear.