Belitung fire engine crashes while responding to forest fire
The route traversed has terrain filled with many sharp bends, while the vehicle was travelling carrying a fairly heavy load of water for firefighting purposes.
Tanjungpandan (ANTARA) - A water supply tanker belonging to the Fire Department of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Belitung Regency, Bangka Belitung Islands Province, was involved in a single-vehicle accident on Renati road, Air Selumar Village, Sijuk District, Belitung Regency, Bangka Belitung Islands, on Sunday (23/8), resulting in injuries to three personnel.
Head of BPBD Belitung, Zainal Harison, when met at Marsidi Judono Regional Hospital in Belitung on Sunday, confirmed the single-vehicle accident involving the firefighting tanker fleet, which occurred at around 10.00 a.m. Western Indonesia Time while on a mission to supply water to extinguish a forest fire in the area.
He said the traffic accident caused the water supply vehicle used for handling forest and land fires to suffer severe damage, and resulted in injuries to three BPBD Fire Department personnel.
According to him, the incident occurred while personnel were moving towards the location of the forest fire disaster in Sijuk District after receiving a report from local residents.
“The route traversed has terrain filled with many sharp bends, while the vehicle was travelling carrying a fairly heavy load of water for firefighting purposes,” he said.
When passing the winding road, Zainal continued, the heavy water load caused the tanker to suddenly sway until the driver lost control of the vehicle.
“When passing the bend, the vehicle swayed and lost balance until it finally overturned and went off the asphalt road surface. The vehicle was carrying a heavy load of water,” he said.
Zainal explained that the vehicle involved in this incident is a water supply fleet that is highly relied upon in handling forest and land fires.
“That vehicle is a water supply or tanker truck operated specifically for extinguishing forest and land fires because its size allows it to enter and reach narrow terrain or locations that cannot be accessed by other large firefighting fleets, so that the extinguishing process can be more effective,” he said.
He added that as a result of the incident, three members of Team III of the Belitung BPBD Fire Department who were in the vehicle suffered injuries.
All victims were immediately evacuated to Marsidi Judono Regional Hospital in Belitung to receive further medical treatment and care.
“Three of our members suffered injuries as a result of this accident. All victims were immediately rushed to Marsidi Judono Regional Hospital in Belitung to receive intensive medical treatment,” said Zainal Harison.