Firefighter buried in house fire in Texas – dramatic operation!

Firefighter buried in house fire in Texas – dramatic operation!

On September 3, 2025, shortly before 11 a.m. local time, the Fort Worth Fire Department was alerted to a house fire in the Historic Southside district. According to information from Fireworld A fire engine, fire engine 11, noticed heavy smoke coming from a one-story wooden house on its way back from the workshop to the station. The operations center received several emergency calls from concerned neighbors who reported the fire and then alerted other units.

Firefighters quickly arrived on scene where the Engine 11 crew found an intense fire and heavy smoke. During the initial firefighting efforts, the roof of the garage collapsed and buried firefighter Caleb Halvorson. He immediately issued a “Mayday” signal, which resulted in an immediate request for help.

Rescue operation under extreme conditions

Fellow firefighters were able to free Halvorson from the rubble in less than two minutes. He suffered multiple injuries, including burns, and was immediately taken to Parkland Hospital by CareFlite. The firefighter's condition was listed as stable in the burn casualty ward. Caleb Halvorson has been with the fire department for three years.

Additionally, firefighter Lt. Troy Gallagher was injured while rescuing Halvorson. Gallagher, who has been with the Fort Worth Fire Department since 2001, is expected to be released from the hospital soon. Further investigations revealed that the residents of the house were not at home at the time of the fire, so there were no other injuries.

Scope and causes of use

The operational management requested a second alert level in order to mobilize additional forces. A total of 42 fire engines and around 90 emergency services were on site. The fire was brought under control after about an hour, but the entire operation took over three hours.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. The fire department would like to thank the community for their support and prayers for Halvorson and Gallagher and their families.

In a broader context, it is interesting to note that “mayday” signals like Halvorson’s are crucial in fire service operations. Emergency calls of this type are reserved for real emergencies. In the past, there have been situations where "Mayday" signals were erroneously issued during exercises, resulting in unnecessary alerts being triggered, such as Respiratory protection dictionary reported.

In Germany, the fire department is one of the largest voluntary organizations with around 48,100 facilities. At the end of 2022, there were around 219,000 members in various fire departments, including over 114,000 active members in volunteer fire departments. In 2022, the fire department responded to around 229,000 fires, which underlines the importance of the fire department to society. In addition, there were unfortunately 333 deaths from smoke, fire and flames in Germany in the same year, which illustrates the risks that firefighters are exposed to Statista is occupied.