Firefighter punched by homeowner when trying to stop them from entering burning home

SWAN VALLEY, Idaho (KIFI) - Swan Valley Fire was called to a trailer house fire Monday afternoon where they found flames coming from a bedroom window.

The fire started around 12:50 p.m. at 3481 Swan Valley Highway. Firefighters quickly arrived. But as they started fighting the fire, the two homeowners tried to go back into the burning trailer to recover items. Firefighters had to physically stop them.

Crystal said when the homeowner was trying to get into the burning building firefghters attempted to stop him. The homeowner punched the firefighter in the face. Police were called and detained the man.

Fire Chief Travis Crystal said one of the homeowners tried to climb up a firefighter's ladder to the roof to enter the building. When a firefighter tried to stop him, he was knocked off the roof.

"In all of my 26 years as a firefighter, I've never had someone try to impede firefighting efforts like this by causing a physical disturbance and assaulting a firefighter," Travis Crystal, Swan Valley Fire Chief, said.

The fire caused $100,000 damage to the structure and another $30,000 for the contents.