Heat from fire caused gun to shoot Wisconsin firefighter
A Wisconsin firefighter is in critical condition after a loaded firearm inside a burning building discharged and struck him, according to the fire department.
CONRATH, Wis. (AP) — Fire officials in Wisconsin say the heat from a fire caused a loaded gun to discharge, critically wounding a firefighter.
The Cornell Area Fire Department said Friday that 35-year-old Justin Fredrickson is out of the intensive care unit and recovering.
A week earlier, Fredrickson was working a fire in the northwestern part of the state when the heat from the fire caused the gun to go off.
Fredrickson was shot in the abdomen.
He was taken to a nearby hospital and later airlifted for medical treatment in Eau Claire.
The department says he had at least three surgeries and has since been up and walking.
By Chris Boyette, CNN
(CNN) -- A Wisconsin firefighter remains in critical condition after a loaded firearm inside a burning building discharged and struck him, according to the fire department.
Justin Fredrickson, a firefighter with the Cornell Area Fire Department, was operating on a hose line outside of a fire in the Township of Willard last week when a loaded firearm inside the burning building suddenly discharged. The bullet traveled through the wall of the building and hit him in the abdomen, Fire Chief Dennis Klass said in a news release.
"The loaded firearm discharged due to heat conditions caused by the fire, not by the intentional actions of a person," Klass said.
Frederickson was transported to a hospital, then airlifted to Mayo Hospital in Eau Claire, according to the release. He underwent two surgeries and has a third scheduled.
As of Thursday, Fredrickson is still listed in critical condition, Cornell Area Fire Department Assistant Chief Matt Boulding told CNN.
"Please keep Justin's fiancée, his family, and the Cornell and Sheldon Fire Department's in your prayers," Klass said.
Donations to Fredrickson can be made at any Northwestern Bank location to Cornell Volunteer Fireman (memo: Justin Fredrickson). Donations can also be mailed to Northwestern Bank PO Box 398 Cornell, WI. 54732, the department said.
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