Driver attacks Calgary first responder following car fire

A Calgary firefighter was attacked by a driver involved in a fiery multi-vehicle crash on March 9, 2026. (Supplied/Calgary Fire Department)

No one was injured following a crash on Deerfoot Trail that resulted in one vehicle catching fire on Monday evening.

At 5 p.m., the Calgary Fire Department responded to the southbound lanes of the highway near the Calf Robe Bridge for a multi-vehicle crash.

Fire crews found one vehicle on fire on the left-hand side of the highway and several other vehicles damaged.

The driver of the single vehicle appeared to be trapped inside, officials said.

“Firefighters were able to rapidly knock down the fire and needed to force open the driver side door to access the driver as there was significant damage to the vehicle and multiple airbags were deployed,” the CFD said in a news release.

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As soon as the driver was freed, officials said they “became verbally aggressive,” jumped over the barrier of the highway and into northbound traffic.

“The driver then jumped onto the hoods of several vehicles that had slowed down in the northbound lanes,” CFD said.

A firefighter followed the driver to bring them back to safety, but the driver attempted to attack them.

Fire crews called Calgary police to help but soon managed to safely subdue the driver.

EMS crews assessed the driver at the scene and took them to hospital.

The CFD cleared up the fluid and wreckage at the scene while police and EMS checked on the other drivers.

Southbound Deerfoot Trail was closed for a short time after the crash, but it has since been reopened.