DALLAS -- Four Dallas firefighters suffered minor injuries in three unrelated incidents Sunday morning, department officials said.
None of the firefighters' names were released, but Dallas Fire-Rescue Lt. Jesse Garcia, a department spokesman, said all were quickly released from hospitals.
"It wasn't a good day to be a rookie," Lt. Garcia said. "All of them had just two or three years of experience."
The first incident occurred about 1:30 a.m. on Interstate 20 near Lancaster Road. A suspected drunken driver in a compact car hit a fire engine that was parked behind an accident scene.
A 31-year-old firefighter inside the engine suffered minor injuries, and the car's 40-year-old driver, whose name was unavailable, was seriously hurt.
Both were taken to Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.
Three hours later, a 27-year-old firefighter suffered heat exhaustion while trying to extinguish a house fire in the 3000 block of Utah Avenue.
He was taken to Methodist Dallas Medical Center and released shortly after. The blaze, which destroyed the house and caused an estimated $60,000 in damage, is under investigation. There were no other injuries.
Two other firefighters in an engine were hurt after they were rear-ended by an 18-wheeler as they were approaching an accident about 10 a.m. on southbound Central Expressway near LBJ Freeway.
The truck driver was not seriously hurt, Lt. Garcia said, and the firefighters suffered scrapes and bruises. They were treated at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas and released.
Dallas police are investigating both vehicle accidents.
Lt. Garcia said the department's year-old policy to send a fire engine and truck to accident scenes on highways protects police and paramedics.
"It helps us a lot," he said. "We have a big fire engine that can take a hit. Our paramedics feel a lot safer."
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