MARTINSBURG, W.Va. –– A tractor trailer fire called in just before 5:00 AM at the 16 mile marker was just the start of some traffic headaches on I-81 Sunday.
Local Crews responding included the Hedgesville Volunteer Fire Company and Bedington Volunteer Fire Company as well as professional firefighters from shifts A and B.
Hedgesville Chief Jason Collis aid they were dispatched to fight a fire in the back of a tractor trailer involving lithium ion batteries.
“The volunteers, along with the Berkeley County Fire Department responded to the fire,” Chief Collis said. “Me and the B shift coming on for Berkeley County Fire Department responded with our first line engine and our our frontline ladder truck to block for the other personnel on scene to get traffic control.”
They had been on scene fighting the fire for about an hour and half, Chief Collis said, when, “We heard a loud bang behind us.”
“There was a passenger vehicle that had came down I-81 and hit the ladder truck in the front driver side area and then went into my frontline engine into the pump panel.”
The driver was allegedly under the influence.
Collis, appearing on Monday’s Panhandle Live says there were no injuries, but the two trucks will be out of operation for a while.
Even though the two pieces of equipment did their part in keeping cars away from the firefighters, having them out of commission is a blow to the department.
“This is the third piece of apparatus I’ve lost in two years,” Collis said, explaining that the equipment has to be taken out of service or decommissioned altogether if the damages are too severe.
“I’ve just got one back from over over a year ago,” he said. “I just got it back in service and now I got two more down and it’s probably going to be a year to year and a half before I even see them again. If if they don’t get totaled.”
For the time being, “We have the county reserve engine right now to supplement for my first line engine out but as of the ladder truck we don’t have no replacement for that.
That ladder truck, Chief Collis says, usually gets a lot of use.
“It goes off my frontline at least 50 times a week.”
Berkeley County Professional Firefighters Local 5045 posted pictures from the scene and shared some stats.
“An average of about 60 first responders (fire, LE, EMS, and tow) are killed each year by vehicle strikes while operating on scene.”
Their post said Sunday’s incident should encourage motorists to drive with caution.
“Please take this as a reminder to NOT drive under the influence and to ‘Slowdown and Move Over’ when emergency vehicles are present. We want to go home when our shift is over, we have family waiting for us.”
The incident is still under investigation.
MetroNews reporter Luke Wiggs contributed to this story.