ST. GEORGE — One firefighter suffered serious injuries while two others received minor injuries after two firetrucks struck each other early Thursday afternoon while responding to a blaze that destroyed a home off Clark Island Road.
Russell Hallock, 56, of Owls Head was taken initially to Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport and then flown by a LifeFlight helicopter to a trauma center in Maine with serious injuries, according to a news release from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. Hallock was the sole passenger in the Owls Head fire truck.
Two firefighters were taken to a hospital as a precaution after suffering injuries when the firetruck they were in collided with another and rolled over in St. George on Thursday. Stephen Betts/Courier-Gazette
The driver of the two fire trucks — Donald Pierce, 64, of Owls Head; and Keith Miller, 65, of St. George, were taken to Pen Bay with minor injuries.
The preliminary investigation by the Sheriff’s Office found that the St. George truck was traveling north on Clark Island Road with emergency equipment activated heading to a water supply station. The Owls Head truck was heading south, also with emergency equipment activated, returning to the fire scene with water.
The fire trucks came upon each other in the area of the Mill Creek Road intersection, which is on a corner. A car had pulled over to the side of the road as much as possible but the narrow road has no shoulder so the vehicle was in the northbound lane.
The trucks tried to avoid each other but the St. George truck’s brakes locked and the rear driver’s side corner of the truck struck the front driver’s side corner of the Owls Head truck. The St. George truck went off the road and partially into ditch while the Owls Head truck went off the road and rolled onto its passenger side.
A Maine State Police accident reconstruction expert responded and a report from that investigation is expected to be completed in a couple weeks.
Both trucks were significantly damaged and were eventually towed by Automaster.
Fire Departments from multiple towns including St. George, Thomaston, South Thomaston, Cushing, Rockland, Camden, Union, Owls Head, Appleton and Warren, responded to the fire at a home on Tyler Lane on Clark Island. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office was also at the scene.
The crash occurred shortly after 1 p.m. Oct. 17. The fire had been reported shortly after noon.
A six-car garage at the home near the end of the road — owned by Bernard Davis Jr. — was flattened and the home was destroyed with only exterior walls still standing. The house is located across from the Craignair Inn and Restaurant. Davis and his dog were home at the time but were able to get out without injury.
The town has the home assessed at $485,000.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office was called in to assist in determining the cause.
Fire crews were still at the scene of the fire at 7 p.m.
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