RIVERDALE, Md., Feb. 25 (UPI) -- High winds at a Maryland house where firefighters were battling a blaze created a "fireball" that injured seven firefighters, officials said.
The Prince George's County Fire Department said the fire began at the one-story, vacant house in Riverdale just after 9 p.m. Friday, CNN reported.
"Preliminary reports indicate that firefighters had initiated an interior attack on the fire when a sudden rush of air, fanned by high winds, entered from the rear of the house either from a door or window being opened or broken out," the fire department said in a statement.
"The sudden addition of a large amount of fresh air into the fire environment created a 'fireball' inside, engulfing the firefighters."
Two firefighters were in critical condition with burns Saturday, one was in good condition with injured ribs and four had been released, fire department spokesman Mark Brady said.
