MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A Cal Fire firefighter injured in the Monday fire that destroyed the Middletown Hardester’s Market is recovering, authorities reported Tuesday.
Cal Fire identified the injured man as Justin Costa, who is a paid call firefighter with the South Lake County Fire Protection District and also a Cal Fire employee. He’s assigned to Middletown Fire Station No. 31.
The agency said that on Tuesday Costa remained hospitalized at UC Davis Medical Center’s burn center in Sacramento, where he was transported via air ambulance the previous day.
Costa, who was said to have suffered second- and third-degree burns, is reported to be in fair condition. He is alert and talking, and is surrounded by his family and fellow firefighters, Cal Fire reported.
Costa was reported to have been on the first fire engine to arrive on Monday afternoon at the fire at Hardester’s Market and Hardware, located at 21088 Calistoga St. in Middletown.
Cal Fire said the fire was reported at approximately 2:17 p.m. Monday.
The California Highway Patrol said Officer Efrain Cortez was at the scene when firefighters arrived, and he saw Costa emerge from the back of the building after having been partially engulfed in flames.
Cortez and another firefighter pulled Costa to safety and rendered aid. The CHP said Cortez suffered minor injuries, including first-degree burns to his right hand and smoke inhalation. Cortez later was treated and released at Adventist Health Clear Lake.
A total of 65 firefighters from around Lake County and the region responded to battle the fire for more than five hours before it was finally contained, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire/South Lake County Fire received assistance from Kelseyville Fire, Clearlake Fire, Lakeport Fire, Northshore Fire, Calistoga Fire Department, Williams Fire, Colusa Fire, West Sacramento Fire, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, Caltrans and Callayomi Water District.
On Tuesday Cal Fire said it has dispatched a Serious Accident Review Team to investigate the incident.
Overnight, most of the structure had been taken down by an excavator in order for firefighters to access the portion of the building that continued to actively burn.
On Tuesday, firefighters remained on scene to investigate the cause of the fire, which was reported to have started in the back of the 18,000-square-foot building in the compressor room.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Cal Fire said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said fire personnel are expected to be at the fire scene until Wednesday.
On Tuesday the only road closure remaining in place was at Washington Street between Wardlaw and Young Street, the sheriff’s office said. All other businesses in the area at that point were open and operating at their normal business hours.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Firefighter injured in Hardester’s fire recovering
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On