Freezing Housefire

There was a fireman's funeral in Carlstadt and I was working at home. About 10:20 AM we get toned out for a basement fire that Police Dept. quickly confirmed. We got to the firehouse and rolled out really light, maybe 3 guys total. This was my second fire out of fireschool so my cherry was popped but I was still hyped up.

It was about 25 degrees out and the wind was whipping fast. We pull up and as I walk down the sidewalk towards the rear, I meet John K, Lou and B. Woods. We get a line stretched to the back and start scotting up as dark smoke is pushing up back at us. There was about 5 steps to the basement, where visibility fell to about 30% in a dark haze. No fire to be found but the smoke was thick.

I dropped down to my knees and realized I was kneeling in about 8 inches of water. Apparently the fire was above us and to the left and was hot enough to melt a water pipe, causing water to flow down the wall. We all searched the basement when the windows were finally taken from the outside. John K stuck the nozzle out a window and fog-vented it and we then realized the burst water main had probably knocked the fire down.

When we went upstairs, we found one room that had no floor as the fire had eaten it up about 50%. Good thing things were clear enough to see this before mistakes were made. When I got out, the sloped driveway was slick with ice from our fog-vent. Down towards the truck, my wet fire jacket froze from the wind until it was a block of ice that i could crack just by bending it.

I left the scene early to get new boots since mine were filled halfway with icy water from the basement. Then John K calls my cell and said everyone on the scene was looking for me. I made the mistake of not telling the officer I was leaving the scene, stupid probie mistake, and I got severely repremanded for it.
Later on, a picture similar to the one on the left won an award and we all got tshirts for free with it on the back.