Firefighters respond to two crashes overnight

Vancouver firefighters responded to two serious auto accidents early Thursday morning in east Vancouver.

One man was transported to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries after his Honda crashed into a utility pole near the intersection of East Mill Plain Boulevard and Boise Avenue.

The call came in at 1:10 a.m., and firefighters reached the scene four minutes later. Crews used a hydraulic extrication tool to free the man.

“They ended up having to cut the roof off,” said Chris Moen, a Vancouver Fire Department spokesman. “He was pinned in the car pretty substantially. It took them about 15 minutes to get him out.”

He was transported to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, Moen said.

Shortly before 2 a.m., firefighters were dispatched to a crash near 97th Avenue and Northeast 16th Street. En route, they learned one vehicle was fully engulfed.

A Mustang slammed into two parked cars. An adult man and woman were outside the car when firefighters arrived; they were treated on scene and transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Moen said.

The Vancouver Police Department is investigating both wrecks. The names of those involved were not available.