Texas fire chief, volunteer firefighter killed in crash

DALHART, Texas (AP) — The chief of a Texas Panhandle volunteer fire department and one of his firefighters were killed when a tractor-trailer rig slammed head-on into their department sport utility vehicle, officials said Tuesday.

The crash happened at about 8:40 p.m. Tuesday on U.S. 54 northeast of Dalhart, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) northwest of Amarillo, the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement.

The Dalhart Volunteer Fire Department SUV was returning to the station from a call when the tractor-trailer traveling the opposite direction attempted a pass on the two-lane road and slammed into the SUV, killing Fire Chief Curtis Brown, 51, and Firefighter Brendan Torres, 19, DPS Sgt. Cindy Barkley said.

The truck driver was taken to a hospital with unknown injuries, Barkley said.

The investigation was ongoing, she said.

Dalhart is about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of the Oklahoma border, 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of the New Mexico line and 65 miles (105 kilometers) south of the Kansas-Oklahoma border.