Four NH firefighters recovering after two-alarm house fire in Manchester

Officials say four firefighters who were injured while battling a blaze in New Hampshire are back on the job.

The two-alarm fire broke out at an unoccupied single-family home in Manchester on Sunday, and Manchester fire officials say they got a 911 call about the fire around 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

"Dispatch came back and said we are receiving multiple calls, so we knew we had something," Manchester Fire Captain Pete Franggos said.

When crews got to the scene, heavy smoke was coming from the back of the home, and as firefighters went in, a flashover of flames forced them to quickly evacuate.

The flash came when firefighters got to the top of the home's stairs, with a backdraft sending them all tumbling to the bottom of the steps.

"As Firefighter Defina cracked the door open, we’re not quite sure what happened after that," Franggos said. "Big flash, large boom and the next thing we knew, we were all at the bottom fo the stairs."

Franggos has burns on his face, but mentioned that he knows he's lucky given the situation.

"We were lucky, very lucky," Franggos said. "Very proud to be a member of this department with these guys. When something like this happens, all hands are working and all you’re concentrating on is getting the guys out."

Somehow, Franggos was able to grab his radio and made a mayday call during the fire.

"Chief, mayday, mayday, we had a flash! We had a flash! Mayday!" Franggos said on the call.

Other firefighters rushed to pull Franggos and three others from the flames.

"The last thing any firefighter ever wants to do is call for a mayday, because it usually doesn't end well," Franggos said.

But, Franggos and his men got out, with burns on their face, wrists and other injuries.

On the way back to the department's headquarters, however, the firefighters could only think about a fellow firefighter who didn't make it out while battling flames in Worcester.

>>MORE: Firefighter killed battling five-alarm fire in Worcester

"There isn't a firefighter today that's not thinking about him and his family," Franggos said.

Just hours before the Manchester fire, Worcester Firefighter Christopher Roy died trying to escape intense flames in a five-alarm blaze, turning into a devastating loss for the brotherhood of everyday heroes.

"You can't say enough of how we feel for him," Franggos said. "It's so close to home."

>>MORE: Funeral services, memorial fund announced for fallen Worcester firefighter

Three of the Manchester firefighters were hospitalized with burns and lacerations, and one was treated at the scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group