Fire: helmet cam shows firefighters dousing Citrus Heights apt blaze

Updated March 5, 10:43 a.m.–
A video published on Youtube this week shows helmet-camera footage of firefighters responding to a recent apartment fire in Citrus Heights, with up-close video of fire crews extinguishing the blaze from both inside and outside the structure.

Update: The user who uploaded the video discussed in this article has since made the video private on Youtube. It is no longer able to be viewed by the public. For an example of other helmet camera footage available, see: https://youtu.be/61dCHcOyj3A

The nine-minute video begins with Metro Fire crews inside Station 21 on Greenback Lane shown gearing up to respond to a structure fire at the Autumn Ridge apartment complex on Feb. 21. Hero-themed music is added in the background from Keith Urban’s country song, “For you,” with firefighters shown arriving at the scene of the fire about two minutes through the video.

Jerky motions from the helmet-view camera capture the fire from a first-responder’s perspective, as firefighters are shown attacking flames bursting from the deck area of the apartment.

Although there’s no sound from the scene included in the video, appropriately themed music lyrics can be heard in the background saying, “All I saw was smoke and fire, I didn’t feel a thing.” The repeated question from Urban’s song is also heard asking, “Would I give my life, could I make that sacrifice?”

The video appears to switch to a different helmet view around the four-minute mark, and the camera follows a team of firefighters into the building around the six-minute mark. Fire crews can be seen inside putting out remnants of the fire and ripping out portions of the ceiling to extinguish still-active flames hidden above them.

[follow text=”Don’t miss local news:”]

The video was uploaded to a Youtube account named “Firekat 456,” with footage from Metro Fire’s Rescue 21 and Engine 24, according to the video’s description.

Update: The user who uploaded the video discussed in this article has since made the video private on YouTube. It is no longer able to be viewed by the public. For an example of other helmet camera footage available, see: https://youtu.be/61dCHcOyj3A

As previously reported on The Sentinel, the Feb. 21 apartment fire near Greenback Lane and Auburn Boulevard displaced several residents and caused an estimated $275,000 of damage, according to Metro Fire. No injuries from the fire were reported, but residents in several nearby units were displaced due to smoke and water damage, according to a CBS 13 news report.

Assistant Fire Chief Patrick Ellis later told The Sentinel the cause of the blaze was determined to be combustibles stored inside a water heater located on the back deck. He said water heater areas should never be used for storage of other items and advised residents to have a readily accessible fire extinguisher in their home.