Va. firefighters give pumper truck to Texas town hit by Harvey

Associated Press

PORT ARANSAS, Texas — Some Virginia firefighters drove a pumper trucker about 1,600 miles to donate the rig to a South Texas coastal town ravaged by Hurricane Harvey.

Members of the Philomont Volunteer Fire Department on Wednesday presented the $40,000 truck to the Port Aransas Volunteer Fire Department.

Philomont Fire Chief Richard Pearsall says his department is getting a new fire truck so officials decided to donate the 2001 model to Port Aransas. Pearsall says the Texas Fire Chiefs Association and the Texas A&M Forest Service , through its Helping Hands Program, assisted with the donation.

A&M officials say most of the firefighting equipment in Port Aransas was damaged or destroyed by Harvey, which made landfall nearby on Aug. 25.

Philomont is a community of about 9,500, located 50 miles northwest of Washington, D.C.