ORLANDO, Fla. -- An Orlando firefighter was injured in what appears to be a case of arson. The two-story apartment building involved has already been demolished. The blaze was so intense, one of the first firefighters to respond was burned as he tried to approach the front door.

The entire house was demolished within hours of this fire.

"I felt it right off the get-go. Really intense heat," explains injured firefighter Cory Coljesky. "Just trying to push that nozzle in the door. Just couldn't get in and the heat was blasting me."

Coljesky stayed with the firefight for hours, even after he received second-degree burns around his oxygen mask and ears.

"You can't leave. I've got a job to do; I'm on the nozzle. If I drop the nozzle, the fire don't go out," Coljesky comments.

Investigators believe the fire was arson and a reward is being offered. The already condemned and boarded up property was a known hang out for the homeless.

"They do. They go in and out of that house. They sleep in the house and the man hasn't done anything, just let it go bad," says neighbor Ashley Anderson.

During the fire, it was unclear if anyone was inside. Afterwards, firefighters searched the crumbling structure for possible victims. There were none. The building was then immediately bulldozed, as it was too dangerous to be left standing.

The city was in the process of foreclosing on the building.

The injured firefighter did eventually go to the hospital for treatment. He's fine.

Investigators are offering a $1,000 reward for information about the suspected arson.