The Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD) responded to three emergencies October 9, one of which included a traffic fatality on the 710 freeway.

The first incident was a reported garage fire at the 700 block of Lime Avenue. The LBFD responded at approximately 7:35AM and extinguished the fire, which was in a detached garage of an abandoned residence. No injuries were reported, though the cause of the fire is under investigation.

At 11AM, LBFD responded to a traffic incident on the southbound side of the 710 freeway at the Del Amo Street exit involving two vehicles, one of which was upside down, two semi-trucks and one CalTrans street sweeper. LBFD personnel extracted the two victims in the two vehicles with the Jaws of Life. The LBFD Urban Search and Rescue Task Force were on hand to lend their assistance.

One victim was pronounced dead on the scene; the other was transported by Long Beach Paramedics to the hospital in critical condition. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is investigating the incident.

At 1:40PM the same day, the LBFD responded to a different 710 freeway southbound traffic collision at the 91 junction. The first arriving unit found multiple vehicles involved in the accident, with one victim trapped in one of the vehicles. The trapped victim was extracted by firefighters with the Jaws of Life. Three additional victims were taken to area hospitals. The CHP is handling the investigation.

“No additional details are available in any of the cases at the time,” said Fire Captain Jim Arvizu in a statement.