Smithfield Fire and Cache County EMS

Our prayers are with Captain Helstern and we wish him a speedy recovery! Logan Fire is a sister agency to Smithfield Fire and is a partner in the Cache County EMS Authority.

LOGAN — A firefighter suffered burns to the face while responding to a vehicle fire Sunday at a laundromat near Utah State University.

Fire crews responded to a report of a vehicle fire endangering a structure near 900 North and 500 East about 12:30 p.m., Logan City Fire Chief Mark Meaker said.

The vehicle was about six feet from the laundromat and the engine was fully engulfed. Firefighters quickly knocked down the fire once arriving, Meaker said.

"It appeared to be a routine car fire but the captain noticed that the fuel was still pumping out of the fluid line," Meaker said. "So he was attempting to disconnect the battery when the fluid picked up ignition and a flash fire started."

Capt. Rhett Hellstern received first-degree burns to his face and second-degree burns around his ears, Meaker said. His eyebrows and facial hair were also singed. The 12-year veteran of the department was taken to the hospital for a couple of hours, where he was treated and later released.

While at the hospital, medical staff performed tests to determine that Hellstern suffered no injuries to his eyes or respiratory system, Meaker said. Doctors asked that he take a couple of days off in order to let the burns heal, Meaker said.

— Ethan Thomas
Published in the Deseret News
Published: Monday, June 29, 2009 11:52 a.m. MDT

Firefighter injured while responding to car blaze

By Emilie H. Wheeler
Published in the Herald Journal:
Monday, June 29, 2009 1:26 AM CDT

One Logan firefighter was injured Sunday afternoon while responding to a vehicle fire near 500 East and 900 North that is suspected to have been caused by a fuel line break.

Rhett Hellstern, a fire department captain trained at the paramedic level, was treated for minor facial burns at Logan Regional Hospital. He was never admitted.

Firefighters were called to the scene of the blaze at about 12:30 p.m. and were able to put out the fire quickly, said Logan City Fire Chief Mark Meaker.

“After the fire was knocked down, (Hellstern) was attempting to disconnect the battery because we suspected it was pumping raw fuel,” he said.

It was at that time the fuel re-ignited, injuring Hellstern.

The driver of the 1997 Chevrolet sedan pulled over near a laundromat in the area when he suspected something was wrong with the vehicle.

“The gentleman was actually driving the car to a mechanic shop because the vehicle was reportedly leaking anti-freeze,” Meaker said. “It started to run rough, so he pulled over to the side of the road.”

Meaker said Hellstern had some of his facial hair singed off and that the burns to his face are consistent to a very bad sunburn. Medical staff at the hospital also checked to make sure the captain’s respiratory system was unharmed, which it wasn’t.

Hellstern took the rest of the shift off, and will be checked by a doctor on Tuesday to make sure he’s all right before returning to work.

“We just don’t want to expose his skin to further heat right now,” Meaker said.

The vehicle, which Meaker said was totaled, was quickly removed by a wrecker to a repair station, according to police reports.