The Arizona Department of forestry and Fire Management reported that two Arizona firefighters were injured in a rollover accident on Monday, Aug. 13 on their way from a fire assignment in California.
The two firefighters were from the Elephant Head Volunteer Fire Department, based out of Amado, Ariz. and were returning from the Carr Fire in California when their engine blew out a tire and rolled along U.S. Highway 95 outside of Hawthorne said Tiffany Davila, an Arizona State Forestry spokeswoman.
The two men had to be extricated ad were airlifted to for non-life threatening injuries. They have since been released from hospital care.
In a public statement, Arizona State Forester Jeff Whitney said, “Considering the seriousness of the accident, we are very lucky these men were able to be released from the hospital so quickly. As firefighters, we are always on the road, and driving is one of the most dangerous parts of our jobs. We cannot stress driver safety enough. Thankfully, these men will both make full recoveries.”
Davila reported that nearly 400 Arizona firefighters are working on fires across the rest, the majority assigned to fires in California.
Mineral County Fire Chief Chris Lawrence told the Independent-News that he was unaware of the accident and that his department had not been called out on this wreck.
