Eight firefighters were injured in a crash in California. One of them is in a coma, fighting for his life.
During a press conference on Friday, Sept. 20, Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy announced that firefighters were involved in an accident while returning from assisting with the Airport Fire, which started on Monday, Sept. 9, and has yet to be fully contained, per the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The firefighters — who were members of the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association, Local 3631’s Handcrew — were returning to the incident command post after assisting with the fire on Thursday, Sept. 19, when their truck overturned northbound State Route 241 at about 6:50 p.m.
The Orange County Fire Authority’s websiteexplains that a handcrew member’s primary responsibility is to perform “hazardous fuels reduction projects and wildland fire suppression.”
“Crews will frequently be called on for 24-hour coverage during high fire danger days and may be gone in excess of 14 days at a time on fire assignments in and out of [the] county,” the website states.
Fennessy said the handcrew had just finished a 12-hour shift when the “solo rollover accident” occurred.
According to the chief, two of the eight firefighters were taken to local hospitals and released that night, and six were taken to local trauma centers in “stable to critical” conditions.
stock image of ambulance.
Getty
While the incident remains under investigation, friends and family identified one of the injured firefighters as Matthew Nichols.
“He is currently in a coma, fighting for his life, while his wife, Carissa, stands by his side every day, navigating a reality no one could have prepared for,” a GoFundMe campaign made on behalf of Nichols’ family and friends reads.
According to the fundraiser, Nichols is a father to a 6-month-old son named Theodore.
fundraiser photo.
OC Firefighters/Facebook
“Matthew has always been a protector, both for his family and his community. Now, it’s our turn to support him and his loved ones,” the campaign states, noting that donations are “to help ease the financial burden on Carissa.”
On Tuesday, Sept. 24, the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association, Local 3631, also shared a link on Facebook to the Fallen Fire Fighter Relief Fund which offers “financial assistance to professional firefighters, firefighters’ families and charity organizations throughout the State of California.”
In addition, the organization also created a separate GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the eight injured firefighters. As of this writing, the fundraiser has raised over $312,000.
