Burglar bars trap 2 men in burning Fort Worth home

FORT WORTH, Texas - Two men are in critical condition after being pulled from a house fire in Fort Worth. Firefighters said burglar bars trapped the men inside.

The Fort Worth Fire Department said it got a call around 10 p.m. Tuesday from a man who said he couldn’t get out of a burning house.

That home on Donnelly Avenue is in Fort Worth’s Como neighborhood. The windows had burglar bars on them, making it hard to escape.

Firefighters had to break down the door to pull the first man out. But by that time, he was unconscious.

They used a thermal imaging camera to find a second man in a room toward the back of the house. He was also unconscious.

The crews used cyano kits, which help get the carbon monoxide out of the bloodstream after heavy smoke inhalation.

"We use those things multiple times throughout the year. They are truly lifesaving. We are glad that we do keep those on every battalion chief’s car and our medic units throughout the city. So any incident like this, it’s gonna guarantee we are gonna have those units on scene when we need them the most," said Craig Trojacek, a spokesman for the fire department.

Both men were airlifted to Parkland Hospital’s burn unit in Dallas.

There were working smoke detectors in the home.

As for the burglar bars, firefighters said they are great for keeping people out but can cause major problems when people need to escape.

Arson investigators are working to determine the exact cause of the fire.