VIDEO: A fire truck and a car collided head-on in Milwaukee, leaving two people hospitalized and the fire engine destroyed by flames.

The crash happened around 2 a.m. at the intersection of 13th Street and Layton Avenue, near the airport. According to Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski, the fire truck was traveling south on 13th Street, returning to headquarters from a call a few blocks away, when a car heading north crossed the center line and struck the fire truck head-on.

The collision caused the fire engine to burst into flames. Firefighters inside the truck were able to escape before the fire engine caught fire and immediately assisted the two occupants of the car. One person was removed using the jaws of life.

Both car occupants were taken to the hospital. Their condition remains unknown. The fire chief emphasized how the fire engine’s structure protected his crew.

“I’ve seen some pretty bad hits, you know, the out-of-control drivers and whatnot. I will tell you this much. You can look, you can look at that fire engine right there. You can look at that other vehicle. If our members were in any other vehicle, they are probably dead right now,” Lipski said. “So the structure of this fire engine probably saved our members’ lives tonight.”

WISN-TV ABC 12 Milwaukee

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PHOTOS: Fierce flames erupted in a furniture store off McKinley Avenue in Mishawaka. Flames and smoke were seen rising from the store for several hours as firefighters battled the blaze.

“This looks so crazy. Like, I ain’t never seen nothing like this before, Said Lovon Hopper, bystander
We just started here booming, and then saw the smoke in the air. You could literally smell it, taste it, almost,” said Brandon Varda.

“We saw everyone just making a detour by the fire department. ” So we parked to see what was going on, and we saw just the big flames, and we just heard it all come crashing down,” said Megan Martinez, bystander.

Massive flames rising from an AAA Mattress and furniture just before 5:30 p.m. during a heavy thunderstorm. Multiple units responded, including Mishawaka, South Bend and Clay Township.

Those at the scene said it was not just the sight but the sounds that were concerning. According to firefighters, there was a large storage of lithium-ion batteries in the building, potentially the source of the booms people were hearing.

Those nearby said they had no idea what the noise was. “When we got close, we just started hearing like a lot of booms, like fireworks. Sounded like some gunshots, but it was this,” said Ethan Martinez, bystander.

According to police, while they do not know if anyone was in the building when the fire broke out, they said no one was hurt, and employees stopped anyone from getting hurt by calling 9-1-1 right away.

“They did the right thing. Called us out, and we were able to mitigate the problem. It’s definitely noted that to get out and let us take care of it, not to go in and try to solve the problem,” said Josh Courtney, Mishawaka Fire Department battalion chief.

WSBT-TV CBS 22 South Bend

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Firefighters responded to a scrapyard fire in Walla Walla Monday night, the city of Walla Walla said in a release. Crews arrived at the fire in the 200 block of N. 11th. It was under control within 10 minutes. Equipment owned by the facility owner also helped with continued suppression efforts, the city said. No firefighters or civilians were hurt. Damage estimates are still being assessed. The cause remained undetermined.

KNDO-TV NBC 23 Yakima

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Lake Oswego voters will decide on a property tax increase to fund a $20.6 million rebuild of the South Shore Fire Station, which does not meet seismic standards.

The post Lake Oswego (OR) Plans Earthquake-Proof Firehouse appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

The New Beaver Fire Hall has reopened after a $200,000 renovation.

The post New Beaver (PA) Fire Hall Reopens After Renovation Project appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.