MEYERSDALE, Pa. — An ambulance was completely destroyed after it went up in flames outside a hospital moments after paramedics unloaded a patient.
There were no injuries reported, WJACTV and WeAreCentralPa.com report.
The expected cause is an electrical short near the battery switch, and the flames quickly spread throughout the ambulance. The ambulance had close to 200,000 miles and was due to be replaced, but officials said they were not aware of any safety issues and crews did not see any warning signs that the vehicle was about to go up in flames.
“We had no suspicion of anything,” Meyersdale Ambulance paramedic Brad Maust told WJACTV. “We didn’t smell anything, see anything or hear anything.”
Maust was returning to the vehicle when security guards alerted him to the fire.
“There were five or six security guards surrounding our ambulance, all with fire extinguishers,” he said. “They saw it on the cameras and were able to extinguish it before the fire company got there.”
Damage was estimated at between $100,000 to $150,000.