By FireRescue1 Staff
YREKA, Calif. — South Yreka firefighters were unable to respond to a vehicle crash Wednesday after the battery of their only fire engine was stolen.
“We saw the cables and tools lying on the ground and it hit us that somebody had broken into it,” South Yreka Fire Chief Bernie Paul told KTVL.
The department was called off the vehicle crash, and quickly replaced the battery. Fire officials said the sparks from the broken cables could have started a fire.
“It’s a very, very large battery,” Chief Paul said. “It won’t fit in a pickup truck or a car, you know, it’s for a very large piece of equipment, so I’m not really sure.”
Suspects also stole a radio from the station. A locksmith told fire officials it’s likely the battery was stolen to charged electronics at home.
“We keep very tight control of our radios because it is a frequency that all the departments — 30 departments in Siskiuyou County — we all use those frequencies, so we don’t want anybody getting on those frequencies and tying them up,” Chief Paul said.
Police are investigating the incident.