WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Three Oklahoma firefighters were seriously injured while responding to one of this week’s wildfires.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said a firetruck crashed into a canyon between Rosston, Oklahoma, and Englewood, Kansas.
It happened Tuesday during the response to the Ranger Road Fire. A Rosston Volunteer Fire Department truck was driving through a pasture, with one firefighter at the wheel and two riding on the back.
The patrol said the smoke was so thick, the driver couldn’t see through it. The truck went into a burning canyon and overturned. The firefighters on the back were thrown off, and the driver was trapped.
Other first responders noticed that a firetruck was missing and searched for the crew. They found the firefighters and pulled them out of the canyon.
All three firefighters were taken to a hospital by ambulance, according to the patrol. The driver had second-degree burns on his upper body, officials said.
Photos provided by the patrol show that the firetruck was burnt to a crisp.
The Ranger Road Fire, the largest of many wildfires in the region in recent days, has burned about 283,283 acres at last count. It covered parts of five counties: Beaver and Harper in Oklahoma, as well as Meade, Clark and Comanche in Kansas. The fire is only 20% contained as of 8:45 p.m.
Two Kansas firefighters were injured while responding to the same blaze, according to Ashland Fire Capt. Bill Neier.
