Cornell firefighter shot in stomach while extinguishing blaze

Feb. 25—CORNELL — Cornell firefighter Justin Fredrickson was extinguishing a house fire near Sheldon on Feb. 19 when he suddenly felt a pain in his stomach, according to Cornell Area Fire Chief Dennis Klass.

"He was spraying water and he felt like he was hit in the stomach by a two-by-four," Klass said Wednesday.

Fredrickson, 35, was wearing full turnout gear. He started to remove the clothing, to discover he had been shot in his lower stomach. Because of the turnout gear, there wasn't much blood visible.

Apparently, a loaded .38-caliber pistol within the house had fired, athough no one was inside the structure. The gun had become so hot due to conditions from the fire it began to fire rounds.

"There were four, five rounds that were fired," Klass said. The bullets traveled through an exterior wall, including the one that struck Fredrickson. "This is just a freak accident. It could have happened to anybody."

Klass, who will retire later this year after 50 years as a firefighter, added: "It's nuts. You don't think this happens, but I've seen it happen one time before. But it's very rare."

EMS started caring for Fredrickson at the scene. He was taken to a hospital in Ladysmith, then airlifted to Mayo Cinic Health System hospital in Eau Claire. Klass said Fredrickson has already had three surgeries, with the most recent one performed Wednesday morning.

"Everything (in the surgery) went well from what they said," Klass said. "(The wound) was in the lower abdomen. He had damage to the spleen, and he was having problems with his colon. The bullet is still in him. They didn't take it out. They said it would do more damage to remove it."

Fredrickson, who has served on the Cornell Fire Department for 16 years, owns a business. He's also an assistant coach for the Cornell-Lake Holcombe-Gilman wrestling team.

"He's in great shape, and strong like a bull, and that helped his chances," Klass said. "He's down-to-earth and a great guy."

The Cornell Fire Department has a staff of about 30 firefighters. Nearly all of them attended a gathering Tuesday to discuss the bizarre shooting and share their thoughts.

"We had to talk," he said. "It was hard for all of us."

The good news is that because Fredrickson was injured while fighting a blaze, he will receive workman's compensation.

"Our insurance company has assured us he won't see a (medical) bill from this," Klass said. "He's being taken care of."

Northwestern Bank in Cornell has established a fund for Fredrickson. Klass said any donations to that account will help Fredrickson pay his other bills while he is likely unable to work for perhaps three months.

The fire occurred in the town of Willard. Cornell was providing mutual aid to the scene; Fredrickson was among four Cornell firefighters that were helping battling the blaze.

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