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Calif. FF injured in apparatus rollover during grass fire response

An East Contra Costa fire district firefighter was injured when the apparatus he was driving flipped; he was transported to the hospital with minor injuries and released

George Kelly
East Bay Times

OAKLEY, Calif. — An East Contra Costa fire district firefighter injured during his truck’s rollover Tuesday during a grass-fire response has been released from a hospital, authorities said.

Just after 1 p.m., firefighters responded to the 2400 block of East Cypress Road east of O’Hara Avenue for a reported structure fire and arrived aboard multiple trucks and engines to find two abandoned outbuildings and an estimated half-acre of trash-strewn dry grass on fire, an East Contra Costa fire battalion chief said.

About 20 minutes into the response, a water truck driven by a firefighter managed to roll onto its roof, and fellow firefighters responded by working to free him while calling for an air ambulance that was later canceled. The injured firefighter was taken by ground ambulance for treatment of minor injuries before his release Tuesday evening.

Other firefighters, including responding Contra Costa fire district firefighters, helped to extinguish flames while a hazardous-materials crew worked to ensure minimal fuel-spill loss from the water truck, which suffered major damage and was later towed to a contracted yard. There were no other reported injuries.

The fire’s preliminary cause appeared to be grinding metal in dry grass, a battalion chief said. Oakley police also responded, and will assist East Contra Costa fire district staff in an investigation.

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(c)2021 the Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.)

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