A 1968 Crown snorkel fire truck that once was an integral part of firefighting efforts in Wenatchee will go on the auction block Saturday at Amundson’s Auctions in Stanwood. It’s had two owners since being surplused by the city.  

In recent years it has been the property of The Great Northern Fire and Rescue Museum of Camano Island, which is disbanding. Curtis Johnson, the museum’s colorful director, explained what he’s been doing with the truck.

“We do parades and car shows, and that snorkel was last in a parade in Stanwood probably two or three years ago,” Johnson said, adding that there was 35 people on the truck. “It always attracts a lot of attention because we have all the equipment and compartments open and people are amazed how much crap is on a pumper or ladder or rescue truck at a car show.”

The accident happened at Pointe North Boulevard and Old Dawson Road, according to a WALB crew at the scene.

The crash was reported around 5:15 p.m. The Albany Police Department (APD) was called to the scene around 5:16 p.m.

The first incident was a vehicle fire. As firefighters were doing traffic control for that around 2:30 a.m., a tractor-trailer, which failed to see the emergency vehicles with their lights activated, tried to make a sudden lane change and crashed, according to state police.  

The tractor-trailer hit two fire vehicles, a fire truck and a Chevrolet Equinox, before going off the road and into a ditch. Six firefighters, five from West Hanover Fire and 1 from East Hanover Fire, were taken to Hershey Medical Center with what were described as non-life threatening injuries.

Just before 10 a.m., the fire truck was responding to a call with its emergency lights on when it was struck. Four firefighters were taken to a hospital to be checked out.  

Four firefighters were taken to a hospital to be checked out.DeGeorge said their injuries did not appear serious.