Firefighters trapped by flames in church attic

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis fire captain says he and four other firefighters who were trapped in the attic of a burning church are lucky to be alive.

The intense fire Sunday night destroyed the century-old Walker Community United Methodist Church. Capt. Joe Mattison says they were 30 feet from the fire's origin when conditions changed and their exit was blocked by flames. Mattison says they were down as low as they could get and he could feel his ears and back burning.

Mattison tells KMSP-TV (http://bit.ly/JywStG ) they didn't have any water coming from their hose, so they counted to three and decided to make a run for it. All five suffered burns to their hands, but made it out of the burning church. One firefighter remains hospitalized.

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Information from: KMSP-TV, http://www.myfox9.com

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

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