Firefighters said they have seen more of the fast-burning, life-threatening fires as they see more of a new wave of material in the construction industry.

A growing number of builders are using lightweight construction material like pressed wood.

They're also using a device called a gusset plate. It is used to join pieces of wood, but not as deeply as nails connect traditional lumber.

News4's Keith Garvin reported that firefighters acknowledge that the lightweight wood being put in a growing number of homes these days is just as sturdy as traditional wood.

However, firefighters said the problem comes when the lightweight wood comes into contact with fire.

It poses major problems for the structure and major problems for those trying to put out the flames, because lightweight construction material burns faster than traditional wood, they said.

This could lead a structure to collapse within minutes, firefighters said.

Firefighters Ray Pazornick and Dave Kennedy were injured seriously with another comrade last July.

They responded to a fire at a townhouse in Wheaton that was constructed with lightweight material.

"It went from being clear to all of a sudden smoke, and heat, and boom," said Kennedy.

Pazornick and Kennedy said lightweight construction has made a dangerous job more dangerous.

"We're protected better, we're equipped better, we're trained better -- but in the end, we're fighting the same beast and it is as dangerous as it ever was," said Pazornick.

The American Forest and Paper Association says lightweight construction is just as sturdy as traditional wood and poses no extra risk when it comes to fire.

"There is no real, clear cut evidence that more firefighters have been injured or killed in the line of duty by engineered wood products as opposed to dimensional wood products," said Ronny Coleman. "We've been having structural collapses for a hundred years."

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