Bladensburg volunteer firefighter Kevin O'Toole was released from the hospital Friday after 55 days recovering from burns sustained in a Riverdale Heights house fire.

Sgt. O'Toole, 21, was one of seven firefighters injured on Feb. 24 when a gust of wind swept through the home on 57th Avenue, creating "fireball-like" conditions inside. He was admitted to Medstar Washington Hospital Center that night with second and third-degree burns over 40 percent of his body.

On Friday, his parents Jeff and Jane O'Toole, Bladensburg Fire Chief Randy Kuenzil, and an array of fellow firefighters joined O'Toole as he left the hospital aboard Truck 809 — the engine that had carried him away from the scene of the blaze two months earlier. O'Toole stopped to answer questions before a caravan of emergency vehicles accompanied him back to the Bladensburg station, where he was greeted by more firefighters from around the region.

O'Toole will now join his parents in Bethpage, New York to begin the outpatient phase of his recovery.

Authorities later determined that the Feb. 24 fire which injured O'Toole had been caused by arson. The investigation remains open; those with information about the fire or the parties responsible should contact Contact Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). An award of up to $1,000 is being offered for tips leading to an arrest.