A Vermont fire chief was struck by a stray round of exploding ammunition during a mobile home blaze over the weekend.
The fire broke out shortly after 3:30 p.m. Saturday on the porch of a mobile home in Hinesburg, the Vermont Division of Fire Safety stated in an online update. The Hinesburg Fire Department responded to the call, and crews from the Richmond, Starksboro and Charlotte fire departments assisted.
As the fire burned, live ammunition inside the home began discharging, and firefighters were forced to pull back for more than three minutes. Stray rounds struck multiple homes, and one round wounded Hinesburg Fire Chief Al Barber.
Barber suffered a minor injury from the live round grazing his forearm. A photo of the wound was posted on the fire department's Facebook page.
The delay caused by the exploding ammunition allowed the fire to heavily damage a neighboring mobile home, the Vermont fire agency said. Investigators found that cigarette butts in pine needles under pine shrubs next to the mobile home caused the blaze.
