Firefighter to Undergo More Surgery

Glendale Firefighter William Jensen, who was severely burned while protecting homes in the Calabasas-Malibu brush fire last week, remained in critical condition Sunday.

“There’s been no change in his condition,” said Larry Weinberg, a spokesman for the Grossman Burn Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital. Jensen is scheduled to return to surgery Tuesday, Weinberg said.

Jensen, 52, underwent extensive skin graft surgery and lung evaluation on Friday at the center after suffering burns over 70% of his body. Surgeons cut away the dead and burned surface tissue from Jensen’s body and replaced those areas with about 15 feet of cadaver skin.

Dozens of firefighters and concerned citizens have donated blood for Jensen, who was injured Tuesday when he and five other firefighters were trapped by flames in Corral Canyon in Malibu.

The donations continued to pour in Sunday at a blood drive organized by the El Monte Fire Department that drew 45 donors.

Two others injured in Tuesday’s blaze--Glendale Firefighter Scott French, 41, of Ventura, and Los Angeles Firefighter Ross Torstenbo, 42--were both listed in good condition Sunday, according to Weinberg.

French and Torstenbo may undergo more surgery today when doctors are scheduled to examine their wounds and remove any tissue that is dead or nonviable, Weinberg said. The two men may also undergo skin grafts depending on their conditions.