Firefighters were in the right place at the right time on Monday morning when a fire truck catches on fire in San Diego.
The fire-truck fire took place on state Route 52 just east of Mast Boulevard. The blaze occurred on the same day a new public safety chief, who is likely to get an earful from at least one battalion chief, will be named by San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders.
San Diego Fire Department Battalion Chief Tom Clark said the fires could be related to the city's aging fleet of fire engines.
The incident on SR-52 in Serra Mesa began at about 3:45 a.m. when a car rolled over on the eastbound SR-52 and slammed into a call box. The driver was not seriously injured.
Fire Truck 39 from Tierrasanta was sent out to the call, which was also responded to by the California Highway Patrol. While firefighters were tending to the injured driver, they noticed that their fire engine itself was on fire.
A mechanical fire apparently had started in the engine. At least one fire hose and some other equipment was destroyed. It is not yet known if the truck can be salvaged.
This fire engine is a 1990 model. Clark said fire trucks used to be put out of service after 10 years, but that has now been stretched to as much as 15 years.
"Our fleet is aging, and these are the kinds of consequences that we have," said Clark. "Earlier today, we had a fire apparatus ... catch on fire ... so we're seeing a lot of deterioration in our fleet, and we need to get these new apparatuses as soon as possible.".
Fire Truck 39 was the second fire engine to catch on fire in three days. The other fire, which took place on state Route 163, was also apparently due to mechanical issues.
Department officials said seven new trucks are on the way at a cost of $350,000 each.
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