CORNELL, Wis. – A firefighter who was hit by a bullet from a gun that was overheated in a fire and began firing randomly has undergone a third surgery at an Eau Claire hospital. Cornell Fire Chief Dennis Klass said prospects for Justin Fredrickson, 35, are promising. At the fire a week ago at a house near Sheldon, Fredrickson suddenly felt a pain in his stomach. “He was spraying water and he felt like he was hit in the stomach by a two-by-four,” Klass said in an interview with the Eau Claire Leader Telegram. He started to remove his full-turnout gear to discover he had been shot in the lower stomach. Because of the gear, there wasn’t much blood visible. What happened? Apparently, a loaded .38-caliber pistol in the house had become so hot due to the blaze that it began to fire rounds. Four, perhaps five rounds went off and at least one penetrated an exterior wall. Fredrickson’s spleen and bowels were damaged. Klass said that surgeons left the bullet place: “They said it would do more damage to remove it.”
Fredrickson. At his firehouse locker.