Several firefighters with the Willowfork Fire Department were injured on Thursday, August 27, 2026, when their fire engine was struck head-on by a runaway trailer in Palo Pinto County, Texas. The crew, which serves the Cinco Ranch and Katy areas, had been deployed to assist with the massive Ross Fire and was traveling to another section of the fire when the collision occurred. Authorities say a truck pulling a large trailer allegedly lost control of the trailer, which crossed into the fire apparatus’s path and struck it head-on. The impact was severe enough to separate the front wheel assembly from the fire engine, leaving it with major structural damage.
According to Fox 26 Houston and CoveringKaty.com, the number and severity of the firefighters’ injuries have not been publicly disclosed, though multiple crew members were treated following the crash. Willowfork Fire Chief Billy Wilson said the department is grateful for the support the injured firefighters have received and that crews would continue to be supported as they recover. The Ross Fire, which the firefighters were responding to, has grown into the second-largest wildfire in Dallas-Fort Worth’s recorded history, burning an estimated 85,000 acres across Palo Pinto and Jack counties. No information on road closures at the crash site has been released, and the agency investigating the collision has not been identified.
