When the fire truck carrying eight firefighters rolled over when they were returning after a 12-hour shift fighting the Airport Fire wildfire, one of several massive fires blazing in Southern California, officials said that eight firemen were injured, two of them badly.
Just before 7 p.m. on Thursday, the truck collided on State Route 241 near Irvine, according to Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy.
The fire truck swerved, lost control, and overturned after hitting the guard rail, according to the California Highway Patrol, who spoke with ABC Los Angeles station KABC. This happened because the automobile ahead of the truck swerved to avoid hitting a ladder that was in one of the lanes. According to Fennessy, no other cars were involved in the collision.
At a press conference on Friday, Fennessy stated that six firefighters were sent to trauma clinics with conditions ranging from “stable to critical.” He stated that earlier on Friday afternoon, two firefighters who had received care at Hoag Hospital Irvine were released.
According to Fennessy, two firefighters—one from UCI Medical Center and the other from Mission Hospital—were released from trauma centers on Friday night.
According to him, the four patients—two at Mission Hospital and two at OC Global—remain at the hospital in a range of conditions, from stable to critical.
Dr. Humberto Sauri told reporters that two of the six people who were sent to trauma clinics were admitted in severe condition and are currently in the intensive care unit. According to him, the state of one is “critical but stable,” while the other is “quite critical.”
The collision was described by Fennessy as “devastating” and a “huge tragedy for our family.”
According to Fennessy, firefighters have been fighting the Airport Fire “non-stop” since September 9. He explained that clearing fuel out of the fire’s path was the duty of this group of firemen.
The highway patrol is still investigating the collision.
According to Fennessy, “What I’ve heard was that the crew carrier, you know, the crew buggy, as we call them, did swerve for whatever reason, and did roll several times.”
He remarked, “They’re heavy vehicles.” They have a lot of top weight. Therefore, it wouldn’t take much for them to turn over quickly.”
