At least 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 Road 241 around 6:50 p.m. local time in the Portola Springs area near State Road 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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OCFA Chief Brian Fennessey said one of the firefighters was airlifted to a hospital while paramedics transported the other seven local firefighters to trauma centers.
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.
This is a developing story. Check back for more details.
