West Sacramento authorities say fire truck drove over two people, killing one. CHP now investigating

An investigation is continuing into the death of a man after West Sacramento officials said late Friday he was driven over by a fire truck responding to a brush fire. A woman who was also run over was hospitalized.

The West Sacramento Police Department originally said that the man’s body had been found just before 11 a.m. along train tracks near Jefferson Boulevard and Sacramento Avenue. But a later news release said that the West Sacramento Fire Department wildland engine, known as a “brush rig,” had driven over a carpet “where two people were later found.”

It happened as the fire truck was responding to a report of a vegetation fire near the Union Pacific train tracks. According to radio dispatches reviewed by The Sacramento Bee, personnel from “Brush 44” were called at 10:50 a.m. to a homeless encampment on the 500 block of Jefferson for a campfire that had grown out of control amid strong winds.

“As the brush rig accessed the scene, a firefighter ‘spotter’ was in front of the truck, to guide access through a debris-strewn area,” police said in the 10 p.m. statement. “While passing along a dirt trail, the brush truck drove over a carpet, where two people were later found. This incident is believed to have resulted in the death of a male subject and serious injuries to a female subject.”

The woman was listed in stable condition at UC Davis Medical Center.

The California Highway Patrol has taken over the investigation and that the firefighters involved in the incident were placed on paid administrative leave “per city administrative policy.”

“We are grieved any time that an emergency response results in a death or injury of someone we are sworn to assist,” West Sacramento Fire Chief Steve Binns said in the release. “We will fully cooperate with the CHP to help determine exactly what happened. We provide exceptional training and resources to our firefighters and will assist each firefighter who responded through this tragic situation, including with grief counseling.”

The coroner division of the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office is expected to release the male victim’s identity once relatives are notified.

This story was originally published October 18, 2024 at 4:00 PM.