Eight firefighters were injured when a fire truck crashed on a highway near Irvine, California, Thursday night, authorities said.
The Orange County Fire Department truck overturned on State Route 241 around 6:50 p.m. local time in the Portola Springs area near State Route 133, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A ladder on the road caused the fire truck and another vehicle in front of it to swerve, the highway patrol said. The truck hit a nearby safety barrier and overturned. No other vehicles were believed to have been involved.
The traffic police initially reported 12 injured firefighters, but later reduced the toll to eight. Six of them suffered “very serious” injuries and two were slightly injured, a traffic police officer at the scene said.
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Brian Fennessey, chief of the OCFA, said one of the firefighters was airlifted to a hospital while paramedics took the other seven to local medical centers. Two of the patients were in stable condition.
“We ask that you pray for our firefighters and their families,” Fennessey said. “All families have been notified. This is the beginning of a long road for many of these firefighters and our fire department.”
CHP officers ordered the northbound lanes of the highway closed for five hours shortly after the crash.
Video from the crash scene showed the wrecked vehicle with an “Orange County Fire Authority Santiago Hand Crew” sticker. The Highway Patrol said firefighters were battling the Massive fire at airport Before the accident, Fennessey said they were returning home after a 12-hour shift.
