Atkins firefighters injured in firetruck rollover

Five Atkins volunteer firefighters were injured Monday when the firetruck they were riding in rolled into a ditch.

The accident happened on a rural road in Benton County shortly before 11 a.m., according to a news release issued by the city.

The firefighters were leaving the scene of one call and responding to the scene of another when the truck drove over uneven surface on the side of the road, rolled into a ditch and landed on its top.

Five firefighters were taken to local hospitals where they were treated and released.

The truck, a 2022 model, was heavily damaged, the release states, but the department has an older truck that can be used to meet the city’s fire and rescue needs while the damaged truck is being repaired.

“We’d like to thank the fire departments from Fairfax and Shellsburg that assisted us today,” Mayor Bruce Visser said in the news release. “We’re grateful that our firefighters suffered only minor injuries and are back home safely tonight.”