Sedona AZ (April 24, 2018) – While responding to a medical emergency Monday morning, SFD engine E561 happened upon a trolley tour bus that had caught on fire on State Route 179 north of the Village of Oak Creek. “Engine 561 was responding from their station in the Chapel area to assist with a medical call in the Village, when they discovered a trolley tour bus that had caught on fire,” said Fire Investigator Rick Evans. Crews quickly notified the dispatch center of the situation and went to work extinguishing the fire. One passenger on the bus suffered a twisted ankle while exiting the vehicle.
“The fire was confined to the engine compartment,” said Evans, “but due to the large amount of electrical wiring, fuel sources and other equipment in the area of origin, we were not able to pinpoint the exact cause of the fire.” “We were very fortunate that Engine 561 discovered the fire when they did,” explained Evans, “as nearby grass and brush were beginning to burn just as the engine arrived.”
Due to the Chapel stations (Station 6) central location, it is not unusual for apparatus based out of that station to respond into other stations first due areas to backfill or assist with calls.
“This happened to be one of those times where the engine was responding out of its first due area,” said Evans, “and we were lucky that it happened when it did.”
