By BRUCE SMITH
The Associated Press
LORIS, S.C. — Four firefighters were injured Thursday when a firetruck crashed on the way to help another crew battle a burning home, Horry County Fire Department spokesman Todd Cartner said.
Two other firefighters battling the house fire also suffered minor injuries and were taken to a local hospital, Cartner said.
Of the four involved in the crash, two were in serious condition, one was listed in stable condition and the fourth was treated and released from a local hospital.
The four firefighters were on a second engine sent after Lt. John Fowler and firefighter Craig Covino were hurt at the wood-framed, single-family home, which was severely damaged in the blaze. A woman inside was not hurt in the fire, which apparently started in the kitchen, Cartner said.
The crash happened around 8:15 a.m. on S.C. 19, about 15 miles from the house in rural area Horry County.
Highway Patrol spokesman Senior Trooper Sonny Collins said the truck veered off the right side of the road on a curve. When the driver overcorrected, the six-year-old truck filled with a 1,000 gallons of water slipped into a ditch and turned over onto its top.
The accident forced the closure of the highway for several hours.
The firefighters hurt in the crash were Lt. John Volosin and firefighter and emergency medical technician Philip McElroy, who were in serious condition; firefighter and EMT M.J. Chaddick, who was listed in stable condition; and firefighter and EMT Jason Dunn, who was treated and released.