DENVER --
An antique fire truck at the Denver Firefighters Museum caught fire Friday morning.
Dan Farley, a retired engineer for the Denver Fire Department, said the truck was used as the department's hearse and had been used Friday morning for a funeral.
Farley said after the funeral he cleaned that truck and ?when I started it, the back fired.?
The truck threw a rod and caught fire, he said.
Farley said he's put out many care fires in his career, but was unable to stop the fire in the truck?s engine.
Firefighters were called and eventually put the fire out.
A self-described babysitter for the fire truck, Farley said "it's devastating for me," to see the truck so badly damaged.
The engine parts are custom made and repairs will likely cost $100,000, Farley said.
"It's a huge expense," Farley, who previously served as a director of the museum, said. "We don?t have the money."
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