A Kelowna firefighter continues to recover from second and third degree burns following last weekend's massive condo fire.
Chris Zimmerman received the injuries to his hands and legs while helping three firefighters who got trapped on a balcony of the burning building.
While it’s too soon to say if he’ll make a full recovery, his father and former Kelowna Fire Chief, Gerry Zimmerman says doctors are very optimistic and are looking to discharge him today.
“He’s healing up quite well, he’s got movement, we were worried about his hands, obviously, and that’s where the worst burns are,” he said “he’s got full movement and he’s got sensation in his fingers, which is a good thing.”
Zimmerman says his son has been very positive and upbeat throughout the experience and is already talking about going back to work.
“When we went into the emergency, when he first came in, he never showed signs of pain and he never showed signs of being down,” he said “He’s been very, very positive and upbeat since this happened.”
He says his son is just happy that everyone got out.
While Chris Zimmerman is doing better now, it was a frightening experience for the whole family when was he was first taken to hospital.
“It was probably like any other parent would be," Zimmerman said "It was really, really scary and I guess coming from that industry myself I knew how bad things could be and what to expect but Saturday and Sunday were pretty scary days for the whole family.”
The fire broke out last Saturday morning in a condo that was under construction. The flames destroyed the entire building and spread to two neighbouring housing units, leaving dozens of people homeless.
Roofing work being done at the condo is believed to have started the fire.