MILWAUKEE — Broken car parts and shattered glass are all that remain near 13th and Layton after a 24-year-old driver suspected of operating while intoxicated collided with a Milwaukee Fire Department (MFD) engine early Wednesday morning.
The Milwaukee Police Department said the driver lost control, veered into oncoming traffic, and hit the engine, causing it to catch fire. The driver was arrested for suspected OWI and taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. A passenger in the vehicle was also injured.
Watch: Neighbor and fire official react after a suspected OWI driver totals fire engine
MFD Assistant Chief Joshua Parish told me his firefighters were not hurt in the crash and immediately rushed to help the people in the other car.
"No surprise that our people's first instinct was oh my god are they hurt," Parish said.
Parish said the fire engine is likely a total loss. The department already has an aging fleet, and incidents like this add more pressure to their operations.
"The reality is I need a brand new million-dollar fire engine to replace this one," Parish said.
Nada Jarad practically shares a backyard with Station 17 near where the crash happened. She said her husband drove past the scene.
"My husband is a trucker, so he leaves in the middle of the night for his shift and he was actually driving past as the accident happened," Jarad said.
"That’s terrifying honestly," Jarad said.
Jarad watches the firefighters come and go each day.
"They’re great guys. It’s sad that they were put at risk. It’s sad to know that anybody else was put at risk. It’s really unfortunate to have something like that happening," Jarad said.
Jarad noted that the fire crews at the station are always busy and running around.
"It’s worrying that they’re going to need to pull from somewhere else," Jarad said.
Despite the loss of the engine, Parish told TMJ4 a replacement engine is already at Station 17 following the crash, and response times will not be impacted.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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