3 California firefighters injured in crash en route to hurricane response

Three members of a California search and rescue team were injured in a vehicle crash Sunday morning as they were driving cross-country to support Hurricane Helene relief efforts in North Carolina.

The three people injured were part of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department’s (SDFD) 48-person “Urban Search & Rescue California Task Force 8.”

The cause of the crash is under investigation, according to a press release from the city of San Diego.

The three firefighters left Friday from San Diego and were together in a F-350 truck when the crash happened at 2:45 a.m. CST. The members were on East Highway 20 at the time, near the border of Texas and Louisiana. The three injured members were transported by air helicopter to Louisiana State University Hospital in Shreveport, La., the press release said.

Assistant Fire Chief Jim Gaboury told local reporters that the three firefighters were in “various conditions ranging from moderate to critical,” The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The local news outlet said the names of the injured were not released but that they were identified as a battalion chief and two captains.

“The news of this crash is devastating. We are doing everything we can to offer support to our department and those team members and their families who were part of this deployment,” Gaboury said in a press release.

The remaining task force members were sent to Waskom, Texas, and were told to await further instructions about the mission, according to the press release.

Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall briefed President Biden on the ongoing recovery efforts, including on the “tragic car accident” involving the three firefighters, according to the White House.

“The President expressed his gratitude to all first responders, including the brave team that was traveling across country to support emergency response operations and is praying for their full recovery,” the White House press office said in a statement.

“Our prayers are with these three brave firefighters, their families and loved ones, as they are being treated in Louisiana,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said in the press release.

“We’ve seen the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene, and we know how critical it is to have water-rescue specialists responding to disasters like this one. These first responders put their own lives on the line every day, here at home and around the country when called. They embody the courage, bravery and service that defines our San Diego Fire-Rescue Department,” Gloria continued.