Overview
- The fire engine and a car collided head-on around 2 a.m. Wednesday at South 13th Street and Layton Avenue near the airport, and the rig erupted in flames.
- Police said the 24-year-old driver was extricated, is in critical condition, and was arrested on suspicion of operating while intoxicated, while a 24-year-old passenger has non-fatal injuries.
- The crew escaped the smoke, then freed the two people in the car using hydraulic cutters and spreaders known as the Jaws of Life.
- Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said Engine 17 is likely totaled, which removes a front-line unit from an already aging fleet and could slow responses until a replacement is secured.
- Police reported one person in the fire engine had non-fatal injuries, though the fire chief said no firefighters were hurt.