A mayday call went out when two Albuquerque firefighters plunged into a basement while battling a structure fire at an abandoned house

By Nakayla McClelland
Albuquerque Journal

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A structure fire call almost ended in death Wednesday morning when two firefighters were sent plummeting nearly 8 feet through a collapsed floor and into a basement in Northeast Albuquerque.

“Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!” a firefighter screamed, according to audio released by Albuquerque Fire Rescue. “We have a firefighter that fell through the floor!”

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First responders were dispatched around 6 a.m. to a home in the 400 block of Alcazar NE after neighbors reported heavy smoke coming from the home, according to AFR Lt. Jason Fejer.

A mayday call is a distress signal used when a firefighter is in danger and needs assistance. Fejer said such a call turns to an immediate firefighter rescue.

Crews from multiple stations arrived and began searching the house, which was reportedly vacant but appeared to be occupied by homeless people, he said.

The structure’s floor was covered in debris, and broken boards that appeared to have covered entry points were strewn about.

“In the process of looking for the fire, crews were having a hard time locating where the seat of the fire was,” Fejer said before stepping away to take a moment as he became teary-eyed. “There was a bunch of smoke production and not a lot of fire.”

First responders eventually found the entryway to a basement and began battling the fire. Moments later, the floor collapsed and two firefighters fell from the first level into the basement, Fejer said.

The two were located and evaluated at the scene. They were not taken to a hospital and did not appear to be injured, the lieutenant said.

The fire was under control in just under an hour. The cause remains under investigation.

“I’m not here reporting a line-of-duty death because the crews that were operating on the scene here today were doing everything right,” Fejer said. “Sometimes we’ve got to be better than luck or make our own luck and I think today is a testament to that.”

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