A collision Friday between a Riverside County Fire Department engine and a sedan in Hemet killed the motorist and left three firefighters injured.
The deadly crash happened at 12:24 p.m. Friday — and was immediately reported by the engine crew — at the intersection of Domenigoni Parkway and State Street.
Cal Fire Capt. John Clingingsmith told City News Service the crew was en route to a blaze burning along Highway 74 at the western edge of the San Bernardino National Forest when the collision occurred.
The circumstances were not immediately known, including the events that precipitated the crash.
The driver of the sedan, whose identity was not immediately disclosed, was critically injured and had to be extricated from the wreckage, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The patient was rushed to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar and pronounced dead on arrival.
The three county firefighters aboard the engine were also injured, but not described as critically. They, too, were taken to Inland Valley Medical Center for further evaluation and treatment, officials said.
Personnel from the Hemet Fire and Police departments, as well as CHP officers and additional county fire crews, were sent to the intersection, which was completely shut down Friday afternoon.
The CHP was handling the investigation because a state vehicle — the fire engine — was involved. The county has contracted with Cal Fire for fire protection and emergency services since the 1940s.