A Clark County Fire & Rescue engine was on its way back to the station following a trip to the mechanic when it was driven into a ditch Thursday near Battle Ground. No one was hurt.
Tim Dawdy, a battalion chief and spokesman for the district, said the district’s contracted mechanic was driving the engine back to its station when he went off the roadway and into a ditch alongside Eaton Boulevard around 2:30 p.m.
Dawdy said the Battle Ground Police Department is investigating the crash, but no citations were issued Thursday.
Any repairs for the engine will be paid for by the mechanic’s insurance, he said, at no cost to the district. Dawdy said the engine looked pretty beat up, but couldn’t estimate a cost figure for damage to the vehicle.
“There’s no way you can put a fire engine in a ditch without damage,” he said.
An Truong lives along Eaton Boulevard, and her family was still waiting early Thursday evening for the power to come back on so they could cook dinner.
“We heard, like, a huge boom,” she said. “The whole house shook and we went out to go look, and we saw the truck in the ditch.”
The truck crashed near a power pole, and utilities workers cut electricity to her home shortly after the crash so they could replace the pole.
She said the right side of the engine had seen better days.
“It looked really rough, and there were hoses all over the ditch,” she said. “There were guys reeling hoses for like an hour.”
The whole incident was a treat for her four boys, though: She said they spent the afternoon sitting outside and watching all the action.
“Not every day you get a fire truck in your front yard,” she said. “They thought that was cool.”
What happened was an honest accident, Dawdy said, and the district plans on retaining the mechanic’s services.
“He’s an old and trusted and very experienced fire engine mechanic,” Dawdy said.
As for not having the engine in service for some time, he said the district’s prepared for that as well: The vehicle was already gone for maintenance, so the district will continue planning staffing schedules accordingly.
