Sacramento firefighter taken to hospital after medical emergency during grass fire

A Sacramento firefighter suffered a medical emergency while fighting a grass fire Friday evening, officials said.

Sacramento Fire Department crews responded to a vegetation fire on the 300-block of South Avenue, in the Johnson Heights neighborhood of northern Sacramento, at around 7 p.m. Friday. A firefighter was reported down due to a medical issue about 15 minutes later, according to radio calls.

Fire Department spokesperson Capt. Justin Sylvia said Friday evening that the firefighter was in critical condition before being transported to a hospital, where he arrived in a stable condition.

Fire officials provided no additional details on the nature of the emergency, but said the firefighter would be kept at the hospital overnight for additional observation.

Camila Pedrosa

The Sacramento Bee

Camila Pedrosa is the California Diversions Reporter at The Sacramento Bee. She previously worked on The Bee’s service journalism team and was a summer reporting intern for The Bee in 2024. She graduated from Arizona State University with a master’s degree in mass communication.