Ice bucket challenge goes awry, firefighters hurt

Two firefighters in a fire truck bucket were seriously injured when they got too close to a power line after helping college students take part in an ice bucket challenge, police said Thursday.

The firefighters had just finished dousing cold water on the Campbellsville University marching band when they were shocked by electricity. One was in critical condition and the other was stable, Campbellsville Police Chief Tim Hazlette said.

Two other firefighters on the main part of the truck were shocked when the bucket was being lowered. They have been treated and released.

No students were hurt.

"A number of our students, of course, the entire marching band, witnessed the event and so we're concerned about them and the tragedy of this accident," university president Michael Carter told WHAS-TV (http://bit.ly/1nfKGZ6 ).

Power was knocked out for about an hour to 4,500 customers, including the school, said Natasha Collins, a spokeswoman for Kentucky Utilities, which owns the line. The Public Service Commission will investigate whether the line had the correct clearance from the ground, trees and structures, said Andrew Melnykovich, a spokesman for the state Public Service Commission.

The police chief said the ladder never touched the line, but it carried such a high voltage, someone nearby could be shocked.

The ice bucket challenge has been sweeping social media websites. The ALS Association said it has raised more than $41 million.

Police said Capt. Tony Grider, 41, and Simon A. Quinn, 22, were in the fire truck bucket. Grider, a 16-year veteran of the department, was in critical condition at the University of Louisville Medical Center Burn Unit. Quinn, a part-time firefighter, was in stable condition there.

Firefighter Keith Bricken, who has worked with Grider for about three years, said he was a tough firefighter who trained colleagues.

"He's real outgoing. He loves to help in any way he can," Bricken said.

Also injured was Capt. Steve Marrs, 37, who has been with the department for 11 years, and Alex Johnson, 28, who has been there three years.

Campbellsville University, a private college, is a Christian institution that has about 3,600 students, according to its website. It is about 65 miles south of Louisville.

A prayer vigil was to be held on campus Thursday night.

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