LA Fire engine fiery crash into parked cars, power lines & liquor store

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (FOX 11 / CNS) - A city firefighter who had a medical emergency, lost control of his fire engine, crashed into a number of parked cars and knocked down power lines which started a small fire inside a nearby liquor store in the Valley Glen section of North Hollywood, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The crash took place about 2:30 a.m. in the 13700 block of Burbank Boulevard, near the intersection with Woodman Avenue, fire department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said. "One firefighter was transported to the hospital in serious condition," Stewart said. "There were no other transports to the hospital from the scene."

Los Angeles police Sgt. Randy Modrell of Valley Traffic said police will be handling the traffic accident investigation while the fire department does its own internal investigation of the accident.

The fire engine, he said, was from Fire Station 102. "It was on its way to handle a medical emergency with lights and sirens on," he said.

Once the driver suffered his medical emergency the fire engine crashed into a number of parked cars and knocked down a number of power poles, Modrell said. According to emergency radio transmissions from the scene, at least six parked cars were damaged in the crash.

The downed power lines started a small fire in a nearby liquor store.

The department dispatched 40 firefighters to the scene and the flames were knocked down at 2:47 a.m., according to Stewart.

However, the downed wires were still live and a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power crew was working to de-energize the wires, she said.

The downed wires and downed power poles also caused a power outage in the area. It's unclear how many customers were without power this morning.

The intersection remained closed this morning for clean-up and the accident investigation, Stewart and Modrell said.