2 Los Angeles Firefighters Injured After Fire Truck Overturns While Responding to Emergency

The firefighters were taken to the hospital in stable conditions, officials said.

Published: 5/20/2026, 4:17:49 PM EDT

2 Los Angeles Firefighters Injured After Fire Truck Overturns While Responding to Emergency — A fire truck at Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles, Calif., on April 12, 2020. (Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images)

Two firefighters were injured Tuesday evening after their fire engine overturned while responding to a structure fire in the Sunland neighborhood of Los Angeles, authorities said.

The crash occurred around 6:45 p.m. on the 8200 block of Foothill Boulevard near McVine Avenue as the fire crew was en route to the emergency, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told NTD via email Wednesday.

"A vehicle failed to yield, causing the fire engine to swerve, overturn, and collide with multiple vehicles," the spokesperson said.

The two firefighters traveling in the fire truck sustained minor injuries during the crash and were transported to a local hospital in stable condition to be evaluated by medical personnel, the Los Angeles Fire Department shared in a statement.

Speaking with ABC 7 Eyewitness News, Elizabeth Ceja, an employee at the Panda Express restaurant next door, said she felt the impact of the collision and recalled a similar accident months earlier.

"Last year, around November maybe, there was another car that crashed here," she told the station. "But someone had actually passed away, so we're just thinking hopefully this isn't something that happened again."

Ceja said firefighters came into the restaurant minutes after the crash and asked everyone to evacuate the building.

Surveillance footage from a nearby business shows the moment the fire truck swerved across the road and struck several cars parked along the street before overturning and slamming into an H&R Block building.

Video recorded by a bystander and shared online also captured the aftermath of the crash, including damage to a Prius parked on the boulevard and a black SUV pinned under the fire engine on the sidewalk. However, officials said no other injuries were reported at the scene.

In a statement, the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City said the incident "could have been a devastating tragedy."

"Last night, the angels watching over LA were clearly looking out for our firefighters and the public," the firefighters' union wrote on X. "This is another powerful reminder of the dangers our firefighters face every single day in service to others."

Fire officials have not released the identities of the firefighters who were injured, pending the notification of their families, and have not shared any other details about the accident. NTD reached out to the fire department for additional information, but a response was not received by publication time.

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the cause of the crash.