BROUSSARD, La — A fire on New Year's Day at a property on Santa Cruz Drive left behind severe damage and injured some firefighters.
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KATC had a chance to speak with them after weeks of recovering.
“I started feeling the heat from the bricks,” said firefighter Nicholas Stancliff, recalling the moment a brick wall collapsed during the firefighting efforts. “The bricks had been burning for quite a while, so they were probably a couple of hundred degrees, and they started burning me through my fire gear.”
BFD Engineer Cole Champagne, who was evaluated at the scene, reported no injuries. Fellow firefighter Juston Chretien suffered from minor leg injuries.
“The first thing I did when I got hit was make sure I felt my fingers, my hand. I just wanted to make sure everything was still intact,” he said. “After that, I just went back to fighting the fire.”
Captain Erik Mannting, who has been with the department since 2013, was not as fortunate.
He suffered serious injuries during the incident, including broken vertebrae and ribs.
“I have a couple of broken vertebrae that have been repaired, my knee is pretty damaged, broken ribs, but it’s recoverable. I’m here, alive—thank God for that,” Mannting said.
Following the fire, Mannting and Stancliff were transported to Our Lady of Lourdes for treatment.
“They know Dad works a dangerous job, and they just knew I was hurt,” Mannting said.
A father of two and a husband, Mannting is happy with the support he and his fellow firefighters received from the community.
“We’re deeply grateful. We owe a lot to the city, to the community, to everyone, especially to the department, the guys who helped me through it. They kept me out of some dark times,” he said.
Now the men are ready to get back to work, to help protect and save, while risking their own lives.
“Emergencies don’t stop just because we get hurt. We may be out for a while, but people still need our help. That motivates us to get back to work as soon as we can,” he said.
