When Fire Capt. Robert Becker tumbled through the roof of a burning West End building on Monday, firefighters hauled up a ladder, slid it across the roof and jammed it down the hole.
Then Lt. Joe Arnold raced down 20 feet into the smoke to rescue his injured colleague.
"Seeing someone go through a roof is the firefighter's worst nightmare," the lieutenant said, and his rush to help was instinctive. Later, the fear washed over him. "That's when I was scared to death."
Lt. Arnold's actions were both routine and the stuff of medals, Chief Robert Wright said. "We expect that. We can't exist without that."
Lt. Arnold was the first to step off the ladder onto that part of the roof when firefighters attacked the midmorning blaze at 532 - 534 Poplar St.
But when Capt. Becker followed, he crashed through the roof. Why was unclear; flames had not touched that part of the building. There was, however, no question where the injured firefighter was, despite limited visibility in the smoke, Lt. Arnold recalled. "He was screaming to us."
The captain was conscious, alert and lying on his side, his 80 pounds of gear still in place.
Lt. Arnold helped Capt. Becker stand, and with an injured wrist, the injured firefighter hauled himself up with one hand, as the lieutenant steadied the base of the ladder. Lt. Arnold went back to fighting the fire and Capt. Becker was taken to University Hospital, where he was treated for a broken wrist.
It took about an hour to put out the fire, and the chief said the loss probably would not exceed $35,000.
Cincinnati Fire Lt. Joe Arnold looks at the spot where Capt. Bob Becker fell through the roof and Lt. Arnold rushed to rescue him.
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Monday's fire was not the first in the building. William V. Langevin, director of Cincinnati's Department of Building and Inspections, said there was a fire there in March 1995, and the damaged roof was repaired in April 1995.
It was not clear whether that was the roof that Capt. Becker fell through.
Since inspecting those repairs, city inspectors have not been in the building, nor have they had reason to inspect it, Mr. Langevin said.
Owner Edward Cook of Kennedy Heights said he stored "my own stuff" there.
He said his son, Ed, told him that the fire was started by burglars using a torch to steal copper pipes.
After surveying the goods inside the building and outside its weakened west wall, Chief Wright said fire prevention and city building inspectors would be calling on Mr. Cook.
