6 Firefighters Critically Injured in California Crash

Six firefighters were critically injured Thursday night in a rollover crash on a freeway in Orange County, California. The two other firefighters in the fire truck had minor injuries, KTLA reports. The California Highway Patrol says the Orange County Fire Authority truck hit a guardrail and rolled over after it swerved to avoid a ladder on the road on northbound 241 Freeway near Irvine, reports NBC Los Angeles. One of the injured firefighters was airlifted from the scene.

OCFA Fire Chief Brian Fennessy said the firefighters were on their way back to the station after a 12-hour shift battling the Airport Fire in Trabuco Canyon. “It breaks my heart,” he said. “We ask that you pray for our firefighters and their families. This is the beginning of a long road for our firefighters and their families.” He said he has received messages of support from fire departments across the country. “You can only imagine how traumatic it is for their brother and sister firefighters to see them injured like that on the freeway,” Fennessy said, per Fox News. The Airport Fire, which began Sept. 9, has burned almost 37 square miles and is 51% contained, according to Cal Fire. (More California wildfires stories.)