Emergency personnel transport a Herman firefighter who was injured when a tree fell on him at a woods fire Thursday afternoon in Clearfi eld Township. A medical helicopter latertook the unidentified firefighter to Pittsburgh for treatment.

CLEARFIELD TWP — A Herman volunteer firefighter was seriously injured Thursday afternoon when a tree fell on him as he helped fight a woods fire off Dalmagro Road, authorities said.

The tree struck the firefighter, who authorities did not identify, on the head and one of his shoulders said Chief Rob McLafferty of the Herman Volunteer Fire Department.

A medical helicopter later flew the injured man to a Pittsburgh trauma center. His condition and the extent of his injuries were not known this morning.

At least 50 firefighters from eight departments battled the blaze that broke out shortly after 3 p.m. A homeowner burning rubbish apparently started the accidental fire.

“(He) said he was burning boxes next to his garage and (the fire) went into the woods,” said Chief Scott Rattigan of the East Butler Volunteer Fire Department.

The homeowner tried but was unable to stop the fire, authorities said.

Several acres had already burned by the time fire crews got there. Firefighters used water lines, axes, chain saws and all-terrain vehicles to gain control of and extinguish the blaze.

The firefighter who was injured was helping in the cleanup effort when the tree came down on him, Rattigan said.

Rescue crews treated the man before he was placed on a backboard and taken out of the woods on an ATV. An East Butler Ambulance crew drove him to the nearby Clearfield Elementary School where a helicopter landed before flying him to Allegheny General Hospital.

He was listed in stable condition Thursday night, authorities said.

A forestry official with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources inspected the fire damage and determined that 10 acres burned.

Fire crews returned to their stations about 7:15 p.m.