The fire trucks were responding to a house fire and had their sirens on when they hit each other at the intersection of Emerson and Garfield Avenues. Police say that the accident sent one of the fire trucks into the Lu Dumpling House restaurant.
Pedestrians, restaurant patrons, and firefighters were injured. Many were treated at the Garfield Medical Center. ABC News reports that at least six of the injured victims were firefighters.
The building’s support beams were severely damaged by the fire trucks but emergency crews were able to stabilize the building before it could collapse.
The fire trucks were from Alhambra and Monterey Park. The Alhambra fire chief told the Los Angeles Times that it was not unusual for the departments to respond to the same fires. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, and it is unclear whether speed or driver negligence played a role.
“This is the first time I’ve witnessed an accident like this,” Monterey Park Fire Chief Jim Birrell said.