Crime & Courts

Fire truck crashes into a pole in Columbia. Here’s what we know

A Columbia-Richland fire engine crashed on Wilson Boulevard, near Columbia, South Carolina on March 6, 2024.
A Columbia-Richland fire engine crashed on Wilson Boulevard, near Columbia, South Carolina on March 6, 2024. Joshua Boucher

A fire engine crashed at the entrance to a neighborhood in northeast Columbia Wednesday morning. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department reported that deputies responded to a crash at 9:22 a.m. at the intersection of Wilson Boulevard and Summerhill Drive.

A video posted to Facebook showed the fire engine crashed into a pole, crushing an ornamental brick sign at the entrance of the neighborhood. Debris could be seen washing into the road from rain that has swept through the Midlands since Tuesday night.

“Y’all are going to have to fix this, because our neighborhood is nice,” the individual filming the truck can be heard saying.

Mike DeSumma, a spokesperson for the Columbia-Richland Fire Department, said that the truck was responding to a call Wednesday morning when it was involved in an accident. Two firefighters were on the truck at the time of the incident, according to DeSumma. One was treated for minor injuries while the other was unharmed.

“No civilians were injured,” DeSumma said.

A spokesperson for the South Carolina Highway Patrol confirmed the agency is investigating the crash. Preliminary information did not indicate any injuries or that any other vehicles were involved. Master Trooper William Bennett said that reports described the crash as “engine vs. pole.”

This is a breaking news story. Check back here for more details.

This story was originally published March 6, 2024 at 11:56 AM.

Ted Clifford
The State
Ted Clifford is the statewide accountability reporter at The State Newspaper. Formerly the crime and courts reporter, he has covered the Murdaugh saga, state and federal court, as well as criminal justice and public safety in the Midlands and across South Carolina. He is the recipient of the 2023 award for best beat reporting by the South Carolina Press Association.
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