PAYNE COUNTY, Okla. — Two Ingalls firefighters were critically injured when their tanker left an Oklahoma highway and rolled into a wooded area while returning from a mutual aid response.
The firefighters had assisted the Yale Fire Department with a grass fire on Aug. 6 and were traveling west on State Highway 51 when Tanker 1 suffered what the Ingalls Fire Department described as a catastrophic failure of a front steering tire.
The fully loaded tanker traveled down an embankment and rolled several times near South 3450 Road before coming to rest in a heavily wooded area, the department said.
The Stillwater Fire Department said the tanker left the roadway while avoiding a head-on collision.
Both firefighters became trapped inside the apparatus. Good Samaritans who stopped at the crash helped remove one firefighter, according to Ingalls officials. Stillwater firefighters extricated the driver and provided medical care at the scene.
One firefighter was flown to Tulsa, while the other was transported by LifeNet EMS under emergency conditions. Both were taken to a Level I trauma center.
The Ingalls Fire Department said both firefighters were awake and alert when they left the scene but remained in critical condition. Their names have not been released.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with our brothers and sisters at the Ingalls Fire Department,” the Stillwater Fire Department stated. “Incidents like today are a difficult reminder of the risks firefighters face while serving their communities.”
Tanker 1 was a total loss.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
