Firefighters at the Crosspointe station were performing a daily operational check on the truck when the aerial ladder came in contact with power lines at approximately 8:40 a.m. while it was being extended, according to department spokesman Dan Schmidt.
A firefighter on the top of the truck jumped to avoid being shocked and was injured in the fall.
The electrical surge went down the ladder, through the truck, burned a hole in the outrigger and continued along the concrete to the entrance of the station before causing a portion of the concrete to explode.
Schmidt said a 12-inch slab of concrete was heaved upwards, hitting a nearby firefighter.
The electrical current continued into the firehouse and climbed up a wall into an electrical panel and through the wiring. Schmidt said there was a small fire in an electrical box, but it self extinguished.
A third firefighter suffered hearing damage due to the noise from the explosion.
All three firefighters were transported to an area hospital for examination and have since been released.
"It was an incredible event in the sense that no one was seriously hurt," Schmidt said. "Safety is our number one priority in anything and everything we do. We will be investigating the incident and reviewing to make sure the policies and procedures were followed."
He said there was significant damage done to the station's electrical system and that they are currently being assessed.
OSHA is on the scene, along with county and fire department officials to investigate the incident.
The incident caused more than 31,000 customers to lose power and the city of Alexandria lost power at traffic lights at some intersections, Dominion Power told The Washington Post. All power was restored by 10:30 a.m.
Paul Peluso | Staff Writer
Paul Peluso is a Firehouse.com staff writer and has worked for the Web site since 2006. Previously, he worked as a reporter for several community newspapers located in the suburbs of Baltimore, Md. Since joining the newsteam, Paul has covered various fire service issues including fire sprinklers, grants, line of duty deaths and technology. While he started out at the Beltsville, Md. office, he has since moved to Florida where he works out of his home office in Tampa.
