8 firefighters injured as truck rolls over while returning from wildfire in California, officials say

Eight firefighters were injured when the fire truck they were riding in overturned as it returned from fighting the airport forest fire, one of several large fires raging in Southern California.

The vehicle crashed while traveling north at about 6:50 p.m. on State Route 241 near Portola Parkway in Irvine, California, said Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy. Other vehicles were not involved in the accident, he added.

The injured were taken to four different hospitals, says Fennessy. Seven were transported by ambulance and one was airlifted from the scene, he added. Two of the injured were in stable condition at Hoag Hospital Irvine and six were taken to trauma centers, he said.

The firefighters, who he described as a “hand crew,” had just finished a 12-hour shift battling the wildfire, he said.

“We will be here for our firefighters, and we ask you to pray for our firefighters and their families,” Fennessy said during a news conference. “All families have been notified, and this is the start of a long road for many of these firefighters and our fire department.”

The California Highway Patrol told ABC News. Los Angeles station KABC that a vehicle driving in front of the truck swerved to avoid hitting a ladder that was in one of the lanes, causing the fire truck to swerve, lose control and overturn after hitting the guardrail.