Ambulance bursts into flames after hitting hydro pole in Oshawa
Posted October 29, 2011 10:06 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A private ambulance burst into flames after slamming into a hydro pole in Oshawa on Saturday morning.
The incident occurred shortly before 9 a.m. on Simcoe Street North just south of Selleck Lane. It’s believed that oxygen tanks on board may have exploded and contributed to the fire.
Durham Staff Sgt. Colin Shaw also told CityNews that a mini transformer atop the pole exploded during the impact and caused a power outage in the area that lasted for several hours.
The two ambulance attendants, who were the only ones in the vehicle, were taken to a hospital with minor injuries and have been released.
Police blocked off the area while crews put out the fire, and electricity has been restored.
Earlier, witness Alison Prentice told CityNews she first heard a bang and then lost power to her home. She thought it was a blown transformer but then went outside to investigate when she heard the sirens from fire trucks.
She said she saw big black smoke billowing from the scene and heard an explosion 10 minutes later.
“When I saw it, it was just a shell with flames. It had burned right through the ambulance,” she said.
The road is a busy one and had recently been widened, she said.
“It’s just bizarre because the road is a good road. I don’t know why they would hit the pole,” she said.
Police didn’t provide a cause of the crash and say the investigation continues.
