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Firefighter Falls 25 Feet Through Skylight, Face Long Road To Recovery

DENVER (CBS4) - A Denver firefighter fell 25 feet through the roof of a building at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday.

Crews responded to a dumpster fire at 3860 Blake Street. Firefighters feared the blaze had spread to a nearby building. So firefighter John Whelan along with three others went up to the roof of the building to be sure the fire did not spread.

Whelan was taken to the hospital with severe injuries after falling through a skylight of the building.

"Whelan sustained injuries including a broken arm, broken ribs and internal injuries," Melissa Taylor with the Denver Fire Department said in a statement. "Firefighter Whelan underwent surgery overnight and is currently in serious yet stable condition."

Taylor told CBS4's Lauren DiSpirito the skylight had been painted over so Whelan probably never even saw it.

"It somehow blended in with the roof, and you can imagine in the evening it's pitch dark up there," she said.

skylight firefighter fell thru
The building where Whelan fell(credit: CBS)

"Situations like this are a constant reminder that the work done by our firefighters is dangerous and they put their life and safety on the line regularly to protect our community," Denver Fire Department Chief Eric Tade said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with John and his family as he undergoes additional surgeries and starts his recovery."

Whelan is a 15 year veteran of the department. Doctors at Denver Health Medical Center told the department that Whelan has as many as four surgeries ahead of him.

"Our firefighters are like family, particularly within the communities they serve," Taylor said. "He's a very strong firefighter, very strong willed, so we feel confident he is going to pull through this just fine."

The department said it's routine that the four on the roof at the time were not tied in or tethered because that can take up valuable time if the fire did indeed spread. So that's not standard procedure. The department is now investigating to see if the building that had a painted over skylight is up to code.

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