Three Aurora firefighters were knocked off their feet by the backdraft of an attic fire this evening, but all were able to escape the home and serious injury, a spokesman said.
The firefighters, who were not identified, were taken to a hospital as a precaution and were treated and released.
The one resident who was home at the time was not injured.
Fire crews had been on the scene at 1415 S. Biscay Way a few minutes when the blast of hot air occurred at about 7 p.m.
The crew was searching for the source of the fire in the attic. The fire had started in a fireplace and moved into a flue and the attic, said Fire Capt. Allen Robnett
A backdraft is a current of hot air that erupts backward down a chimney or pipe, from the combustion of oxygen-starved fire.
“The force knocked them down, but they were able to pull themselves together and get out on their own power,” he said at about 8:30 p.m.
“We had them checked out as a precaution, and they’ve since been released.”
The cause of the fire was a failure inside the fireplace, but Robnett did not know if the fireplace was wood-burning or gas.
Two residents of the home, who were not named, were assisted with housing Thursday night by the American Red Cross.
The Red Cross characterized the damage to the home from the fire and blast as extensive.
The 30-year-old single-story home is in a cul-de-sac south of Buckley Air Force Base and east of South Tower Road.
Public records show the current owner is Oscar P. Hernandez. The home was last sold for $175,000 in January 2006.
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
