SHINGLE SPRINGS, Calif. — A 31-year-old inmate firefighter is back behind bars after stealing a fire truck Sunday while responding to a northern California vegetation fire and leaving a path of destruction across El Dorado County.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection confirmed to KCRA that it responded to the small blaze, sparked after Shingle Springs residents reported illegal fireworks just before 11 p.m. Sunday.
During the response, the unidentified inmate, who was part of the firefighting crew, hopped into an unattended Cal Fire engine and plowed through a truck rack company’s fence, the TV station reported.
Surveillance video shared with KCRA captured portions of the inmate’s wild ride.
According to The Sacramento Bee, the inmate damaged vehicles and equipment in the Rack-It Truck Racks parking lot before eventually crashing and totaling the fire engine in a ditch.
Van Thompson, who owns the truck rack company, told KCRA that the rogue fire truck landed on two truck racks, dragging them across his property, before smashing into his personal truck and crashing through a second fence en route to short-lived freedom.
“He was probably in here 30 seconds at the most. Did a lot of damage in 30 seconds,” Thompson told the TV station.
The inmate, whom officials confirmed has been incarcerated since 2015, was transported to an area hospital and is expected to recover fully. No other civilians or firefighters were injured during the incident, The Sacramento Bee reported.
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