By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Three firefighters were injured battling a house fire that destroyed a home in the West Rowan area of Rowan County, North Carolina, Tuesday.
- Rowan County Emergency Services said none of the injuries were life-threatening; one injured firefighter came from a mutual aid agency outside the county.
- Around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, a China Grove Fire Department engine was struck from behind by a car on Interstate 85 while assisting the Bostian Heights Fire Department.
- The crash caused significant damage to the engine, which officials said had been positioned as a protective barrier for personnel working ahead of it; no firefighters were injured in the crash.
- Identities of the injured firefighters and further details on their injuries have not been released.
ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — Three firefighters were injured battling a house fire Tuesday, and a fire engine was heavily damaged in a separate highway crash hours later, during what officials called a challenging 24-hour stretch for emergency responders in Rowan County.
The firefighters were injured while fighting a fire that destroyed a home in the West Rowan area, Rowan County Emergency Services said in a Sept. 2 Facebook post. “Multiple agencies responded, including departments from outside their districts and mutual aid partners from beyond Rowan County,” the agency wrote.
“Three firefighters were injured and transported for evaluation from separate aspects of the fire,” officials said. “Thankfully, none sustained life-threatening injuries. One of those firefighters was a mutual aid firefighter from another agency who had come to help protect our community.” The identities of the injured firefighters and details of their injuries have not been released.
A second incident occurred around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, when a China Grove Fire Department engine was struck while assisting the Bostian Heights Fire Department on Interstate 85. A car ran into the back of the engine, causing significant damage, officials said. No firefighters were injured.
“The engine had been strategically positioned as a protective barrier, and it did exactly what it was intended to do — shield and protect the people working ahead of it,” Rowan County Emergency Services said.