One member of the fire crew died, crushed by the overturned truck, and seven firefighters were injured, along with scores of passengers on the streetcar. An old tree in front of the playground was demolished but probably prevented the car from plowing full into the playground yard where many children were playing, the Berkeley Daily Gazette reported. A Berkeley woman, Cecelia Gollum, was credited with saving children in the playground by blowing her whistle when she saw the crash occurring.
Five terrestrial units of Barcelona firefighters were deployed to the scene, located in the Eixample neighbourhood in front of Casa de les Punxes, after emergency services received a call about the fire at approximately 5:00pm. The fire had started on the bus, which was at the intersection of Avinguda Diagonal and Carrer de Rosselló. As officials jumped into action, both streets, as well as the nearby Carrer Roger de Llúria, were blocked to traffic, according to the Barcelona City Council.
The agreement late Friday ends a weekslong stalemate after the Austin Firefighters Association rejected of a proposal that it said wouldn't substantially increase wages for its personnel. The AFA agreed to a deal that would raise wages by at least 3 percent over four years. The contract also would eventually reduce firefighters' hours to fewer than 50 per week, a key provision that the city pushed back on.
Firefighters had to dismantle a luggage rack and seats, then saw through the armrest before using hydraulic equipment to free the man, who was stuck for around an hour and half in total.