A Toledo firefighter who had been inside the Magnolia Street building where two of his fellow firefighters would die from the intense heat and smoke broke down on the witness stand today as he recounted the rescue efforts.

Lt. Aaron Hague told the jury hearing the trial of Ray Abou-Arab that the turnout gear of both Pvts. James Dickman, 31, and Stephen Machcinski, 42, was heavily charred when they were pulled out of the blaze – Mr. Dickman first and then Mr. Machcinski.

He helped get Mr. Dickman into a life squad then attended to Mr. Machcinski when he was carried from the fire.

“I checked for a pulse and was unsure if we had one or not, but we initiated CPR,” Lieutenant Hague said.

VIDEO: Lt. Aaron Hague on stand in Abou-Arab trial

Because there was no available life squad, he and two other firefighters climbed into a private ambulance to continue life-saving measures on Mr. Machcinski as they raced to Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center. They did chest compressions, he said, and attempted to intubate Mr. Machcinski by putting a plastic tube down his throat so that they could in effect breathe for him.

“Due to his injuries – his throat was swollen shut – we had no way to breathe for him so we just continued compressions,” Lieutenant Hague said.

Mr. Machcinski, who he called Stevie, was a good buddy of his, he said.

“A lot of the stuff I learned was from Stevie. He was just a great guy to be around,” the lieutenant said.

Another Toledo firefighter to take the stand described for the jury how a routine fire changed in seconds.

“The heat just increased like crazy,” said Toledo Fire Lt. Rob Swartz. “I'd never felt that kind of heat before.”

Lieutenant Swartz said he had climbed a second time to the top of a ladder where three firefighters had entered the Magnolia Street building through a second-floor window when he noticed the change.

VIDEO: Witness Emily Bishop testifies in Abou-Arab trial

RELATED ARTICLE: Witness testifies she saw fire, defendant in Toledo fatal blaze case

At first there had been light grey smoke, he said. Suddenly, the smoke was black and the heat intense.

He said he yelled for the three firefighters inside to get out and shined his flashlight in hopes they would see the light and get back to the window to escape.

“From that point, it all kind of went downhill,” the lieutenant said.

He testified that he attempted to go through the window but could not.

“In seconds it went from being tenable to the most extreme heat I have ever felt,” Lieutenant Swartz said.

More firefighters were expected to take the stand today — the second full day of testimony.

Mr. Abou-Arab, 64, of Oregon is on trial in Lucas County County Common Pleas Court for two counts each of aggravated murder and murder, eight counts of aggravated arson, and a single count of tampering with evidence stemming from the fire that killed Toledo Fire Pvts. James Dickman, 31, and Stephen Machcinski, 42. Six others were injured – firefighters George Simko, Ronald Magers, and Ronald Kay and three occupants of the building.

Prosecutors contend Mr. Abou-Arab was having financial difficulties and set the fire to collect on a $420,000 insurance policy.

One juror was excused after the morning break because she had been seen falling asleep. Judge Stacy Cook told the remaining 15 jurors to let the court know if they were having problems.

"If any of you are struggling at any point...raise your hand and we''ll try to be attentive to that," she said.

Contact Jennifer Feehan at: jfeehan@theblade.com or 419-213-2134.

First Published May 2, 2017, 4:08 p.m.