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Covering Dallas, Monmouth, Independence, Falls City and surrounding areas since 1868
POLK COUNTY -- A fire engine fell into a stretch of Ash Creek on Saturday, Aug. 28, when the bride it was attempting to cross to reach an auto-accident victim collapsed, officials said.
One firefighter sustained minor injures, but it took nearly three hours for heavy tow vehicles to haul the 36,000-pound, 32-foot-long truck from the creek, Operations Chief Neal Olson of Polk County Fire District No. 1 said.
The ordeal began at about 5 p.m., when Arne Knutsen, 39, of Dallas lost control of his westbound Ford pickup near the 10500 block of Clow Corner Road, Polk County Sheriff's Office said.
Knutsen wound up rolling his vehicle 50 yards off the south side of the roadway, Deputy Jay Schmoyer said.
Several emergency agencies responded to the scene. Olson said Polk No. 1 was trying to cross a nearby 40-foot-long private wooden bridge to assist with an extrication when the structure gave way.
"It looked adequate and we had gotten most of the way across when it collapsed from underneath us," Olson said.
The rear end of the fire engine fell about 8 feet into the mostly dry creek while the front end was still resting on the still standing part of the bridge, Olson said.
"It was at a 30 to 35 degree angle," he said.
Dallas Fire Department ended up handling the call, transporting Knutsen to Salem Hospital. He was later released -- then immediately arrested by the sheriff's office for driving under the influence of intoxicants, Schmoyer said.
Firefighters drained water and stripped equipment from the emergency vehicle to lighten it. Salem-based Dental Towing managed to haul the engine from the creek without further damaging it, Olson said.
The engine, which costs approximately $350,000, has been sent back to the manufacturer for inspection, he said.
