GLENCOE, N.M. — NM firefighters have lost more than $10,000 in equipment after their fire station was burglarized.
Thieves targeted the Glencoe Volunteer Fire Department sometime in the past 10 days. Crews were on a routine inspection Wednesday when they discovered equipment had been stolen, according to KRQE.
Every door was open to the station’s three fire trucks and the thieves appeared to have stolen the equipment selectively. Among the stolen equipment were an industrial-sized fan, a rescue saw, and a 5,000 watt generator that weighs more than 200 pounds.
Whoever was responsible had to cut through wiring to get the generator, which was attached to the top of a fire truck.
“Damage was not really done to the fire engine, which might suggest that it was more than one person, but at this point we don’t really know,” Lincoln County spokesperson Michele Caskey told KRQE.
Authorities are warning other stations in the area to be vigilant in case they become the next target.
Caskey said that although insurance will cover the cost of all the stolen gear, it could take weeks to replace. A fire engine was also damaged during the break-in and will be out for repairs.
“The theft of the equipment is a blow to the community of Glencoe,” she said. “That anybody would have the nerve to target volunteer firefighters who do so much protect everybody her in this community is shocking to us.”