Windsor fire truck, passenger vehicle collide as firefighters battle blaze in Garlands Crossing
A Windsor fire truck and a sedan collided in Garlands Crossing as firefighters were responding to a nearby emergency call.
Just a block away, firefighters were starting to battle a blaze at a travel trailer.
Brooklyn firefighters were paged out to a structure fire in the 5900 block of Highway 1 in Garlands Crossing shortly after 9 p.m. Dec. 12. Windsor and Hantsport firefighters responded via automatic aid.
Ryan Richard, a deputy fire chief with Brooklyn Fire, said he was first to arrive at the fire scene.
“It came in as a working structure fire with two loud explosions. That was the initial page,” said Richard in a phone interview around 10:20 p.m.
“I could see the glow in the sky when I pulled out of my driveway,” the Windsor resident said.
“Upon arrival, heavy fire, fully involved.”
The travel trailer was about 28feet long with several pullouts.
Richard said the homeowner was in the travel trailer, which was parked outside his home, when the explosion occurred. In speaking with family at the scene, Richard said he was told the homeowner had filled four new propane tanks earlier that day and was attempting to light an oven at the time of the explosion.
Richard said he’s unsure of the extent of the man’s injuries, but he could confirm the man sustained burns to his face.
About 35 to 40 firefighters arrived to help extinguish the fire.
Richard said he can’t speculate as to what happened, but said the travel trailer was extensively damaged.
“It was completely engulfed in flames on arrival. It’s a total loss,” said Richard.
“There was a car there that did sustain some exposure damage.”
The nearby mobile home had extensive damage to the deck, siding and some windows. The interior received some minor smoke damage.
Richard said it was “Great work by everybody involved; quick knock-down, quick response.”
ACCIDENT SCENE
As Windsor’s Pumper 5 made its way to the scene, the truck and a passenger vehicle collided near the intersection by the Garlands Crossing Irving.
Richard said he couldn’t comment too much about the MVA but he confirmed it was “Windsor Pumper 5 responding Code 1, which is lights and siren.”
Ian Duey, a deputy fire chief with the Windsor Fire Department, said the accident is under investigation by the RCMP.
He said six firefighters were aboard the truck at the time of the collision and two were transported by Emergency Health Services to the Hants Community Hospital as a precautionary measure.
“The fire truck sustained minor damage and is out of service until it can be repaired,” said Duey.
He said the damage was to the front end of the fire truck.
Richard said firefighters are trained to respond to multiple incidents and Thursday night was no exception.
“We face that all the time where we face numerous incidents at the same time and it just goes to show you how easily things can happen.”