Silent throughout the nearly 10 years since his brain was damaged during a roof collapse, a former firefighter has shocked relatives and caregivers with some surprise words.

Donald Herbert went into a coma more than nine years ago, when falling debris left him pinned without air for several minutes.

Although he emerged from the coma 10 weeks later, he remained been unable to see, recognize voices or communicate in a meaningful way.

But on Saturday, sitting in a wheelchair in his suburban Buffalo, New York nursing home, Herbert suddenly spoke out.

"I want to talk to my wife," Herbert said, to the surprise of staff at the nursing home where he has lived for the past seven years.

In the next 14 hours, the 44-year-old former firefighter had more conversations with his wife and four sons, as well as various other friends and relatives.

At one point, Herbert reportedly asked how long he'd been "under."

When he was told it had been nearly a decade, Herbert replied: "I thought it was three months."

Firefighter Anthony Liberatore told local Buffalo TV station WIVB that for those few unexpected hours, Herbert was greeting a steady stream of visitors.

"He stayed up till early morning talking with his boys and catching up on what they've been doing over the last several years," Liberatore said.

According to Herbert's uncle, Simon Manka, he is now resting comfortably. By some accounts, Herbert's rest began with 30 hours of nearly uninterrupted sleep after his hours of interaction ended.

Manka would not say whether his nephew's apparent progress has continued, offering only that doctors were evaluating his condition.

"The extent and duration of his recovery is not known at this time," Manka told reporters at a brief news conference at the nursing home on Monday.

"However we can tell you he did recognize several family members and friends and did call them by name."

Experts say that, while recovery from brain injuries typically happens within two to three years, sudden changes after much longer periods are not entirely out of the question.

"It's almost unheard of after 10 years," Dr. Rose Lynn Sherr of New York University Medical Center told The Associated Press, "but sometimes things do happen and people suddenly improve and we don't understand why."

With files from The Associated Press