Antique Fire Truck Catches Fire
DENVER (CBS4)- An antique fire truck on display at the Denver Firefighter Museum caught fire early Friday morning.
"It's everything. I'm going to get emotional here," said Denver Fire Department Museum spokesman Dan Farley. "It's devastating for me."
The truck had attended a funeral at Fort Logan this morning and Farely was backing it back into the museum when smoke started rising from the hood and flames shot out from the truck.
"When I started it, it backfired. The backfire was a real throaty backfire so I knew exactly that it was through the carborator and not out of the exhaust."
Farley and others pushed the truck back into the street and the fire department rushed to extinguish the fire.
"I dumped four different extinguishers in it then we put water on it and I couldn't save it," said Farley.
It's a tough loss for the museum. The firetruck is a 1953 Seagrave, purchased by Denver Fire in 1953.
"Putting this rig back together is a huge expense and we don't have the money It's like everybody else, the budget hits us, too," said Farley.
The truck is often seen at different events in Denver. It held the Stanley Cup during the championship parade for the Colorado Avalanche.
The engine is routinely used in funerals for firefighters. It travels to Colorado Springs to lead the annual procession to the National Firefighter's Memorial in September. It also makes an appearance at the Colorado Firefighters Memorial in Lakewood for the yearly remembrance ceremony.
The engine appeared in the Columbus Day Parade five years ago and every year at the St. Patrick's Day Parade.
