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Hero police officers storm inferno to save 5 passengers from fireball crash
By Alexandra Koch
Published March 18, 2026
Four Michigan police officers were injured Wednesday while heroically saving five people trapped inside a car that crashed into a tractor-trailer and burst into flames in Michigan.
The crash happened just after noon near an intersection in Canton Township, a suburban area between Detroit and Ann Arbor in southeast Michigan.
Police officers rushed to the accident, rescuing five people through flames and thick, black smoke.
Four officers and five victims were taken to hospitals.
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Bright orange flames rise through black smoke after the crash. (WJBK viewer Gregory)
Their injuries vary from minor to critical, according to the Canton Township Police Department.
Traffic lights hanging above the intersection were also damaged by the flames, according to a report from affiliate FOX 2 Detroit.
Cameron Martin, an eyewitness, told the outlet he heard a series of loud "booms" and ran outside to find 30-foot flames rising from the tractor-trailer.
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The tractor-trailer had a large dent on its side, and the front cab was charred from the fire. (WJBK)
"Everyone was freaking out because it [happened] right in the middle of two gas stations," Martin said. "There were police officers running on both sides saying, ‘Hey, you guys need to stop pumping gas right now. You guys need to evacuate.’"
He added that half a dozen ambulances responded, along with five fire trucks.
Fire trucks near the wreckage, which closed a road to traffic for hours. (WJBK)
"Everybody was losing their minds," Martin said. "It was just a lot of chaos."
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It is unclear what led to the crash, which remains under investigation.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/hero-police-officers-storm-inferno-save-5-passengers-fireball-crash