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An ambulance caught fire outside a Hawaii hospital, killing a patient and seriously injuring a paramedic, emergency officials said.
“This is unlike anything I’ve seen before,” Dr. Jim Ireland, head of Honolulu Emergency Services, reportedly told a news conference.
A 91-year-old patient and paramedics were behind the ambulance when it arrived at Adventist Castle Health in Kailua Wednesday night. For reasons investigators still don’t understand, the ambulance caught fire after a possible explosion.
“Disturbing eyewitness video showed thick smoke rising from the ambulance as firefighters responded as they desperately tried to extinguish the blaze,” Hawaii News Now reported. .
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Another emergency medical technician who was driving the ambulance escaped injury. According to city and county news releases, a paramedic in the back said he was an eight-year veteran who was initially treated at a hospital and then taken to a separate emergency room at Straub Burns Ward.
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“All of our paramedics, EMTs and dispatchers are all valued members of our staff and families and save lives every day. It’s very difficult.I’m just going to leave.That’s it,” Ireland said. “Please pray for him.”
The Honolulu Fire Department is investigating.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.