California firefighters hurt in crash while heading to help Hurricane Helene victims

WASKOM, Texas (KTAL/KSHV) - Three members of a California fire and rescue team were injured in a crash while driving to the East Coast to help with Hurricane Helene relief efforts.

The San Diego firefighters were traveling in their Ford F-350 truck when they were involved in a collision on Interstate 20 near the border of Texas and Louisiana around 2:45 a.m. Sunday.

Mónica Muñoz, a spokesperson for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD), said the injured firefighters were flown to a hospital in Shreveport, Louisiana, for treatment. The remaining crew members were sent to Waskom, Texas, to await further instructions.

“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,” said SDFD Assistant Chief James Gaboury. 

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Authorities said the crew is part of a 48-person task force that left San Diego for North Carolina early Friday evening. Team members include water rescue personnel from several fire departments in San Diego County, an emergency room doctor, as well as a civilian structural engineer and a mechanic with the City of San Diego Fleet Services.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria released the following statement:

Our prayers are with these three brave firefighters, their families and loved ones, as they are being treated in Louisiana. 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.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria

At least 84 people across several states have died in the wake of Hurricane Helene, including 30 people in a North Carolina county that includes the mountain city of Asheville.

The storm unleashed the worst flooding in a century in North Carolina, and Gov. Roy Cooper predicted the death toll would rise as rescuers and other emergency workers reached areas isolated by collapsed roads and failing infrastructure. More than 50 search teams have been looking for stranded people in the region.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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