Eight firefighters were injured when a fire truck crashed on a highway near Irvine, Calif., Thursday night, authorities said.
The Orange County Fire Authority truck overturned on State Route 241 at about 6:50 p.m. local time in the Portola Springs area near State Route 133, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A ladder in the roadway caused the fire truck and another vehicle in front of it to swerve, the highway patrol says. The truck collided with a nearby guardrail and overturned. It did not appear that any other vehicles were involved.
The Highway Patrol initially reported that 12 firefighters were injured, but later downgraded that to eight. Six suffered “very serious” injuries and two minor injuries, a highway patrolman at the scene said.
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OCFA Chief Brian Fennessey 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 start of a long road for many of these firefighters and our fire department.”
CHP officials issued a five-hour closure of the freeway’s northbound lanes shortly after the crash.
Video from the crash scene showed the crashed vehicle with an “Orange County Fire Authority Santiago Hand Crew” decal. The Highway Patrol said firefighters had battled massive airport fire before the crash. Fennessey said they were on their way home after a 12-hour shift.