By Roger Vincent
Los Angeles Times
The driver of a Mini Cooper and a 10-year-old passenger died Friday in Hemet in a collision with a fire truck racing to a blaze in Riverside County.
Three CAL FIRE firefighters suffered injuries in the crash around 12:30 p.m. Their engine was northbound on State Street with its emergency lights and siren activated, the California Highway Patrol said. The sedan was headed west on Gibbel Road when they collided.
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The 43-year-old male driver from San Jacinto died at the scene, and a 10-year-old boy in the front passenger seat died from his injuries at Inland Valley Medical Center hospital, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Another young passenger in the back seat was hospitalized for a precautionary evaluation.
All three were believed to be wearing seatbelts, the California Highway Patrol said. Authorities did not disclose their names.
The CAL FIRE engine’s driver and two other firefighters riding in the apparatus were transported to Inland Valley Hospital for evaluation. Medical personnel later released all three.
Investigators do not believe alcohol or drugs contributed to the crash, the CHP said. The crash remains under investigation.
The CAL FIRE engine is part of a strike team from the Tulare Unit in Visalia that was called to Southern California as several fires burned, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported.
The engine was responding to the Cranston fire, which burned 2 acres in the Valle Vista community of Riverside County before being contained, according to Watch Duty, a nonprofit that tracks wildfires.
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