Firefighters are usually the first on the scene to help people during a crash.
But for a group of firefighters in California, they are thanking their fellow firefighters for helping them save their lives during a crash they were involved in on a California freeway.
On Thursday evening, a firetruck in rolled over on a freeway injuring eight firefighters who were coming back from battling a wildfire, according to local affiliate ABC7.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) said that the Orange County hand-crew truck struck a guard rail and flipped over after apparently swerving to avoid a ladder that was lying in the middle of the freeway, according to the report.
A rollover crash on an Orange County freeway left eight firefighters hospitalized.
Details: https://t.co/GVWs5oDQwB pic.twitter.com/GXac7xZW1n— KTLA (@KTLA) September 20, 2024
According to Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) Fire Chief Brian Fennessy, seven of the eight firefighters injured were transported to the hospital by ambulance and one by helicopter, while the crash seriously injured six of the firefighters.
“One of our hand crews, Crew 1, the Santiago crew, was finishing up their 12-hour shift … They were involved in a solo vehicle rollover accident,” Fennessy told reporters during a news conference. “You can only imagine how traumatic it is for their brother and sister firefighters to see them injured like that on the freeway.”
According to the OCFA website, hand crews can work long hours in hazardous conditions, including steep terrain and extreme temperatures.
Their duties fighting fires include “direct and indirect line constructions, falling operations, firing operations, mop-up, and fire suppression repair,” the website states.
“These are the toughest things to have to deal with. It breaks my heart,” Fennesy said. “I know my team and all the rest of the firefighters in the OCFA and throughout the region and the country … are praying for our members. We just ask that anybody that’s listening to this, please do keep our firefighters in thoughts and prayers.”