Officials provided an update Friday on the eight firefighters injured during a rollover crash on an Orange County freeway Thursday night.
“We’ve got a tough road ahead,” Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy said during a morning news conference. “Many of the injured are going to be hospitalized for a while.”
Fennessy said that of the eight firefighters injured in the crash, six were taken to local trauma centers and all six are still hospitalized ranging from stable to critical condition.
The two other injured crewmembers were released from an Irvine hospital Thursday night.
Multiple patients were airlifted to the hospital after a Orange County Fire Authority truck crashed on the 241 Freeway on Sept. 19, 2024. (KTLA) 
Multiple patients were airlifted to the hospital after a Orange County Fire Authority truck crashed on the 241 Freeway on Sept. 19, 2024. (KTLA) 
Multiple patients were airlifted to the hospital after a Orange County Fire Authority truck crashed on the 241 Freeway on Sept. 19, 2024. (KTLA) 
Multiple patients were airlifted to the hospital after a Orange County Fire Authority truck crashed on the 241 Freeway on Sept. 19, 2024. (KTLA) 
Multiple patients were airlifted to the hospital after a Orange County Fire Authority truck crashed on the 241 Freeway on Sept. 19, 2024. (KTLA) 
Multiple patients were airlifted to the hospital after a Orange County Fire Authority truck crashed on the 241 Freeway on Sept. 19, 2024. (KTLA)
Dr. Humberto Sauri of Orange County Global Medical Center spoke about two firefighters who were transported to them in critical condition Thursday night.
“They both remain in the ICU this morning. One I would say is critical but stable. The other remains quite critical still,” Sauri said.
The crash occurred in Irvine on the 241 toll road near SR-133 when the fire truck swerved to avoid a ladder in the roadway shortly before 7 p.m.
The maneuver caused the vehicle to strike a guardrail and overturn, leaving eight firefighters hospitalized.
“We ask that you pray for our firefighters and their families,” Fennessy said following the crash Thursday night. “All the families have been notified. This is the beginning of a long road for many of those firefighters and our fire departments.”
The truck belonged to the Orange County Fire Authority Santiago Hand Crew.
“For anybody that knows anything about firefighting operations, being a member of a hand crew is not probably, it is, the most challenging assignment that anybody can be assigned to,” Fennessy said Friday.
The firefighters were heading home after battling the ongoing Airport Fire in Trabuco Canyon.
The California Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the crash. “We did bring out our most trained investigators to come out and make sure the scene was documented correctly and we’re going to do our best to make sure it’s a thorough investigation,” a CHP spokesperson said during the news conference.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
A GoFundMe account has been established to support the injured firefighters. Tap here to donate.
