Crime & Safety

Fire Truck Loses Wheel on Way to Call [VIDEO]

Engine 4 had been out on several calls already Friday.

A fire truck responding to a call lost its front driver's side wheel as it turned out of the East Hollis Street fire station.

Deputy Chief Karl P. Gerhard said all things considered, the unusual event could have ended up much worse.

"Engine 4 was responding to an incident on West Pearl Street for reported smoke in building when they exited  the station and there was an apparent mechanical failure," Gerhard said.

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"The operator did a great job of keeping the vehicle out of oncoming traffic, and most importantly, nobody was hurt – in the public or the membership of the fire department," Gerhard said.

The mechanical mishap occurred just after 4 p.m. as the truck exited the Crown Hill Fire Station, 70 East Hollis Street.  Gerhard said the front driver's side tire failed, buckling underneath the truck. The fire truck came to a halt directly in front of Robbins Auto Parts.

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By 5 p.m. the truck was towed and rush hour traffic along the normally congested East Hollis Street was not interrupted.

Gerhard said Engine 4 is the second oldest truck in service to the city, and that the truck had been out on several calls earlier in the day with no sign of a problem.

"These trucks are inspected quarterly, so until we go through a complete investigation at the shop and go through the parts and find out what happened, we can't know what really happened here," Gerhard said.

Another engine responded to the West Pearl Street call, which was not serious, and turned out to be an oil heater malfunction.

Until now, the 2004 Pierce Arrow has served the city well, Gerhard said. 

"This is the first incident of its nature that I can recall," Gerhard said.


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