WASHINGTON β A man was seriously injured after a kiosk near the Lincoln Memorial went up in flames Thursday morning.
DC Fire and EMS responded to Lincoln Memorial Circle Northwest around 7:05 a.m. after receiving a report of a fire in the area. Upon arrival, they found a small kiosk engulfed in flames.
In a social media post from the fire department, photos show the Lincoln Memorial and Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool just steps away as crews work to extinguish the blaze.
Firefighters at the location determined that a propane tank was involved in the fire. A man was seriously injured due to the fire and taken by helicopter to an area trauma center for treatment. His injuries are said to not be life-threatening.
"It's sick, we've been down there for many years," said Walt Sides, the executive director of Rolling Thunder.
The group operates and maintains the Veterans' kiosk near the Lincoln Memorial. Their mission is to bring awareness to POW and MIA's from past wars.
Sides says he got a call from police Thursday morning.
"I got down there and I see it and I said oh, what a mess," said Sides.
He told WUSA9 that the man who was injured is one of their volunteers and a veteran, Gary Bush.
"He's alright. He's got burns on his chest and legs, second and third-degree," said Sides.
Sides told WUSA9 the kiosk has been a staple along the National Mall for decades. He says investigators told him a generator blew up and caused the fire.
"They said the generator blew up and from the looks of it, it did blow up," said Sides.
He told WUSA9 their focus is now on their volunteer's recovery, and on getting the kiosk back up and running.
"Absolutely, it'll be back 100%," said Sides.
They hope to get the kiosk repaired and back out at the mall within the next two months.
Firefighters say the fire was accidental in nature, but are still investigating the cause.
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