The ALS ice bucket challenge — it's just about everywhere you look.
NBC: "Former presidents, stars, even those of us here on 'Today' have participated."
But Thursday at Campbellsville University in Kentucky, it quickly took a turn for the worse after local firefighters helped a group of students complete the challenge.
FOX NEWS: "Four firefighters are injured, one fighting for his life. It happened when the firefighters dumped cold water from their ladder down onto the Campbellsville University marching band."
According to local outlet WAVE, after dumping the water, the firefighters' ladder got too close to a power line — shocking the two men inside the bucket of the ladder and the other two who were on the ground. In a press conference, the Campbellsville police chief explained how the incident happened.
WDRB: "If you get within a distance of 3 or 4 feet, the energy that surrounds the high-voltage wire will actually arch over onto another object, in this case being the personnel occupying the bucket."
The two men who were shocked on the ground are now recovering at home. However, the other two who were in the bucket are still in the hospital being treated for severe burns.
WHAS reports 22-year-old Simon Quinn and 41-year-old Capt. Tony Grider — a 16-year veteran of the department — were both badly injured. Quinn has been upgraded to fair condition, but Grider still remains in critical condition.
Students from the private college where the incident took place have held vigils to pray for the firefighters. Many of them were there when it happened and describe seeing what looked like an explosion and hearing screams.
The ice bucket challenge is supported by The ALS Association as an effort to raise money and awareness for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
ALS is a degenerative disease that affects the body's nerve cells. There is no cure, and over time the disease causes complete paralysis, making it difficult to talk, eat and breathe, eventually resulting in death. (Video via YouTube / medicalduniya)
As of Friday, the challenge has helped raise more than $53 million dollars.
The injured Kentucky firefighters are expected to recover. But it's definitely a reminder — even when it's for a good cause, safety comes first.
This video contains an image from Getty Images.
