Four firefighters were hospitalized after the Orange County Fire Authority engine they were in heading to a medical call struck a tree Wednesday night. The force of the crash nearly ripped the apparatus body in two, front to back.
According to the local newspaper, the Orange County Register, the engine went out of control and hit the tree on the right side of the vehicle as it approached an intersection near Buena Park. The engine had been responding to a medical aid call at about 7 p.m. when the crash into the large pine tree occurred.
The four firefighters were taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, reportedly with moderate injuries, but not considered life threatening, according to the Register’s report.
According to officials on the scene, the Buena Park-based OCFA Engine 61apparently went out of control as it was making a turn went up on to the median and hit the pine. The crash caused heavy damage to the engine and caused the upper portion of the tree to snap off and fall into the street.
The cause of the crash is under investigation the newspaper reported.
