A Willow fire truck responding to a structure fire slid off the road after trying to pass another vehicle whose driver failed to yield to its flashing lights and siren, according to Alaska State Troopers.
There were no injuries in the incident, though troopers are investigating why the tanker could not get a clear path to its destination.
Troopers say they were called to Mile 84 of the Parks Highway about 11:30 a.m. Monday and found Jake Griffin, 32, had been driving the tanker with 3,000 gallons of water north along the highway en route to a cabin fire at Mile 92. The truck’s lights had been flashing and sirens wailing, troopers said.
About Mile 82, Griffin came up behind a Subaru wagon driven by Anchorage resident Cara Durr, 29, troopers said. Durr was also traveling northbound and Griffin told investigators she did not appear to see or hear the fire truck for two miles.
At Mile 84, Griffin tried to pass the Subaru, but as the fire truck pulled alongside it, a semi truck appeared over a hill in the southbound lane ahead, troopers said. Griffin swerved the truck to the northbound lane, missing Durr’s vehicle but sliding off the road about 35 feet, troopers said.
The fire truck was not damaged, though it was towed back to the station in Willow for an inspection, said Mat-Su emergency services director Dennis Brodigan. The truck’s absence did not impact the response to the cabin fire because the cabin was already destroyed, he said.
No citations were issued but the investigation is ongoing, troopers said.
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