Texas Firewalkers

As posted last night, 2 South Dakota Volunteer Firefighters were killed and one was injured during an explosion yesterday at the Sunset Hutterite colony about seven miles northwest of Britton in NE South Dakota. The firefighters (both cousins-more below), ages 20 and 21, were on top of the building, putting out the coal bin fire, when an explosion blew off the roof and south wall, killing both of them in the Line of Duty.

The fire call came in when caller noticed smoke coming from one of the coal bins at the colony-starting around 0800 hours. The bins, inside the building and hold coal to feed the furnace for a boiler.
Several volunteer firefighters fought the fire, and it was thought the fire had been extinguished.

At 0915 hours the colony Firefighters noticed smoke again, coming from an opening on top of the building.
The two young Firefighters climbed to the top of the 75-foot structure to put out what was still burning. The men were attempting to knock down the fire through the top of the opening onto the coal bin when the explosion occurred. The blast threw both Firefighters from the roof onto the ground.

Debris from the roof landed on top of one of the Firefighters and the other was pinned beneath a concrete wall that had collapsed. The west wall of the building crashed through to the coal furnace, crushing it. The father of one of the Firefighters, was also is a Volunteer Firefighter himself, was inside a lower level of the building during the blast. He emerged from the building dazed, covered in debris and injured.

Firefighters had to use one of the trucks on scene to remove the roof and cement off of the men and one of the colony fire apparatus was damaged in the blast.

Several departments responded to the blast, including the North Marshall Fire Department, the Marshall County Sheriff's Office and, the Sunset Colony Firefighters. As we pointed out last night, in that area-and several "plains" area rural communities in North America, "colonies" of Hutterite people (similar in some respects to the Amish) maintain their own volunteer fire companies. This is one such community.

FROM THE FIRE CHIEF/INCIDENT COMMANDER:

"I witnessed it with my own eyes, it happened just like it does in the movies. I mean the bin virtually came apart on top and the two Firefighters just flew," said Sunset Fire Chief Danny Stahl. Those two victims were cousins: 22 year old Firefighter William Waldner and 20 year old Firefighter Jacob Waldner. Sunset Fire Chief Danny Stahl was the only other one on scene when the bin exploded. Chief Stahl says these two young men were especially close to his heart. "These boys I recruited them. I was involved in all their training and they were like sons to me. I helped with the recovery of both of them and it's a picture I'll never get out of my mind," said Chief Stahl. The State Fire Marshal's Office is still investigating the cause of the explosion that will forever shake the small community of Sunset Colony.

"Of course this was not as big as 9/11, but it kind of gave us a little dose of what they (FDNY) saw there - like cement on top of people and all the debris-and the sadness and shock" the local County Sheriff commented.