6/9/12 - Leslie vehicle fire, then MVA on US-127 @ MM 59

On Saturday, June 9, 2012, at 4:36 PM, the Leslie Fire Department was dispatched to a vehicle fire on northbound US-127 north of Covert Rd. A vehicle towing a camper trailer lost control of the trailer which flipped over and caught fire, blocking both the northbound lanes of the highway. On arrival, both directions of traffic were closed off as command reported explosions from the burning wreckage and fire extending to a grass fire along the shoulder of the road. Mutual aid was requested for an engine and tanker from the Mason Fire Department. The fire was quickly brought under control and the southbound lanes of traffic were reopened. As firefighters were picking up, and arrangements were being made with MDOT for cleanup of the wreckage, two vehicles collided in a high speed crash in the southbound lanes adjacent to the fire scene. One vehicle went in the ditch while the other continued through the ditch, crossed Churchill Rd, struck down a utility pole and continued into a farmer's field. A small fire started on the edge of this field also, but was quickly extinguished by a sheriff's deputy with a fire extinguisher. Personnel quickly determined there were 2 patients with serious injuries, including entrapment, in the car that went into the field. Command requested additional mutual aid from the Onondaga Fire Department for extrication and a helicopter for one of the injured. Downed power lines made access into the field more difficult and Consumers Energy was also requested for an urgent response. When Onondaga arrived they positioned their apparatus in the field next to the car in order to have full use of their rescue tools. Removal of the driver's door was required to free the driver. Survival Flight landed in the southbound lanes of the highway and did a "hot load" of one critically injured patient while a passenger in the car was transported by Lansing-Mason Ambulance Service with serious injuries. The occupants of the other vehicle involved did not want medical treatment at the scene.