Firefighter recovers at home

Huntington Beach Fire Engineer Sam Moser is recovering at home from injuries he sustained when a colleague accidentally hit him in the face with an ax as they were battling the March 11 Windy Ridge Fire.

Moser's group had been working for more than three hours protecting homes in the Anaheim Hills area when a balcony at one of the houses caught fire and flames spread into the structural beams, Huntington Beach Fire Captain Tim Andre said Monday.

A firefighter from another city was swinging an ax in an effort to knock down one of the beams, Andre said. On his third swing the beam gave way, sending the man reeling around and landing the blade of the ax directly on Moser's face, fire authorities said.

Moser suffered a broken nose, facial cuts and fractures to his left cheek, authorities said. He was immediately treated by two other Huntington firefighters who were also trained paramedics, and then taken to the UCI Medical Center in Orange where he underwent surgery, authorities said. He was released from the hospital the next day.

According to Moser's wife, Moser is doing well despite the pain and a heavily bandaged face, Andre said.

The fire captain expressed pride for his team who were "definitely put to the task for that operation" he said. "They not only had the effort but they performed and there were many houses saved.

"It's tough when one of your guys gets hurt and then you have to keep working," he said. "I am sure Sammy would have done the same thing had another crew member been hurt."