Stolen fire truck, close to a write off

A stolen fire truck has been left an almost write off after it was taken bush bashing on New Years Eve.

The fire truck, stolen from Torbay Volunteer Fire Brigade on December 30 was taken off road to avoid police and found in bushland near Norseman on New Years Day.

City of Albany’s chief fire control officer Darren Prior said fire crew’s successfully located the vehicle on January 1 which had been doused in petrol however unsuccessfully torched.

“The truck had a considerable amount of damage to it when we discovered it,” he said.

“Firstly they had removed the pumps and hose reels from the back and dumped them in the Kalgan River and then when we found the truck we noticed one flat tyre, all the emergency lights had been broken, the windscreen was smashed and the wiring had been destroyed underneath the dash,” he said.

“Although they had doused the interior in petrol, they had unsuccessfully lit it up.”

Mr Prior said the damage would be close to a complete right off.

“I would say the replacement value of the truck would be around $166,000,” he said.

“What happens now is we put in a submission to DFES for a loan vehicle until we can sort out the insurance and sort out a permanent replacement truck.”

Mr Prior said this was an act of complete stupidity.

“It’s such a stupid thing for someone to do in our community, these people obviously weren’t thinking and are not very community minded people,” he said.

“This sort of thing puts everyone at risk especially in our summer months when we need as many resources as we can.”

Mr Prior urges anyone with information to contact the Albany Police.