DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A DeKalb County firefighter is recovering from third-degree burns that he suffered battling a house fire earlier this month.
Frank Barker and two other firefighters were injured in a house fire on Oxbow Road on May 1. Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach learned that the fire started in the garage on the far right, caught two cars in the driveway on fire, and quickly spread to the rest of the house.
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Barker’s wife Nikole shared on social media that her husband’s burns covered nearly 20% of his body. She wrote her husband already had one surgery on his left hand, but will need another for the burns on his back.
“In this moment I am happy he is alive, because there was a moment I thought that was not going to be the case. He truly had the will to survive and against all odds threw himself out of a window to be here with us today,” she wrote.
Barker’s wife says she is grateful that he is at one of the best burn units in the county. The DeKalb County Professional Firefighters union has created a GoFundMe to help with expenses during his long recovery.
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The union said Barker grew up in Carroll County and enlisted in the Army after high school. He served for a decade, including tours in Iraq.
Frank and Nikole Barker met when he was stationed in Colorado. The couple have five children together.
“Let’s show the strength of the brotherhood by making his family’s life a little bit easier during this very difficult time.”
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