4 Hurt as ‘Safety’ Fire Burns Out of Control

A Christmas tree that was set ablaze before the TV cameras for a demonstration on safety suddenly flared out of control, seriously injuring two firefighters and two cameramen.

The Fire Department in Grand Blanc Township, south of Flint, set the blaze Thursday in an abandoned house while the cameramen videotaped it. But the fire under the tree spread faster than expected, and the cameramen apparently became entangled in videotape gear as they ran down a stairway and fell. Both cameramen suffered burns to their hands and faces, and one was in critical condition.