A FIREFIGHTER was seriously injured and had to be rescued from his own fire engine after it crashed in Headley Road last Thursday while responding to an emergency call in Bordon.

Three other members of the five-strong crew were also injured but managed to escape from the vehicle when it collided with a tree on a bend just after the Waggoner’s Wells turning at around 12.40pm.

Fire engines from Haslemere and Liphook attended the incident, along with a heavy rescue unit from Basingstoke, two air ambulances, the police and other officers from all three emergency services.

After being cut out of his vehicle, the firefighter, who has not been named, was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital to be treated for a dislocated pelvis and a broken leg.

His three colleagues were taken by ambulance to the Royal Surrey County Hospital, in Guild-ford, and treated for minor injuries.

A spokesman for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “The welfare of our firefighters is our absolute priority and we are liaising closely with their families and colleagues to support them at this time.

“We really appreciate all the messages of support we have received.

“We will work closely with Hampshire Constabulary, who are leading an investigation, to establish exactly what happened in this incident.

“The incident in Bordon, that the Grayshott appliance was on its way to, was dealt with by crews from Alton, with no delay, and was found to be a small fire on a hob that was out when the crews arrived.

“Arrangements have been made to ensure there is no interruption to our emergency cover in Hampshire.

“Three of our firefighters have now been released from the Royal Surrey County Hospital. They were all treated for minor injuries.

“One of the crew was airlifted by air ambulance to Southampton General Hospital and suffered a broken leg and dislocated pelvis, but is recovering well.

“We would like to thank our colleagues from the other emergency services for their part in helping our crew and for the members of the public who came to help our firefighters following the collision.

“We also greatly appreciate the messages of goodwill from the public that have flooded in since yesterday.”

Haslemere firefighters worked with the Liphook fire crew on the scene until around 3pm. Their first job was to cut their trapped Grayshott colleague from the wreckage so he could be airlifted to hospital to undergo urgent treatment.

Haslemere crew commander Tim Readings told the Herald: “This was an unusual and challenging incident for all the personnel involved.

“Lorries are difficult to work on in a rescue situation, due to their size and weight, and this adds to the pressure that is endured at every road traffic collision we attend.

“My crew and I found this incident particularly difficult as we work closely with Grayhott and they are our friends.

“I would like to express my thanks to all those who helped us on the day, particularly the crews from Liphook and Basingstoke and my colleagues in the ambulance service and the police. I wish all those involved a speedy recovery and hope to see them on duty as soon as possible.”