Suspected DUI driver crashes into Hanford fire station, no injuries involved

HANFORD, Calif. (KFSN) -- The signs of Saturday morning's crash are still evident at Fire Station 3 in Hanford.

Tracks are left in the grass and dirt where authorities say 22-year-old Manuel Loya-Sanchez went off the road, barreled through a concrete wall and slammed into the fire station.

Three firefighters were inside.

"They were shaken only by the building being shaken and the loud sound, but none of them were injured," says Steve Pendergrass, Hanford Fire Chief.

Kings County detectives suspect the driver was drunk. Pictures that were taken by the firefighters capture the extent of the damage.

Half of the suspect's truck was rammed inside of their office workspace, destroying several pieces of equipment.

"It is where the captains do their paperwork," Pendergrass said. "It is where all the crews do their computer-based training programs. Occasionally that is overflow sleeping when we are running our volunteers at the station."

Pendergrass says, fortunately, no one was sleeping in that room Saturday morning, but a volunteer did a day prior.

Although the room is out of commission, Pendergrass says it won't limit their operations, although they've needed to make some adjustments.

"We were able to move some office equipment into one of our laundry facilities, so that is currently where our captains are working out of," Pendergrass said.

The fire station is less than a year old, and currently, the fire department is working with the City of Hanford to fix the damages.

They say it could take several months before the building could be fully repaired.