EVERETT — For the second time in a week, somebody has stolen a fire vehicle in Snohomish County.
Edmonds police are investigating the theft of a South County Fire Ford F-150, stolen Friday from the scene of a residential fire investigation. Police recovered the vehicle a short time later in Shoreline with what appears to be minor damage.
No arrests have been made.
Friday’s fire truck theft comes as Everett police continue to search for whoever stole a fire engine on July 18 and smashed at least 14 parked cars before abandoning the 35,000-pound vehicle near the city’s waterfront on Marine View Drive. The incident made national headlines.
Around 11:45 a.m. Friday, four firefighters were investigating a residential fire that occurred earlier Friday morning in the 24000 block of 76th Avenue W in Edmonds, according to a press release from South County Fire.
Various contractors were also at the location to assist with boarding up the property and towing a damaged vehicle from the scene. To allow the tow truck access to the damaged vehicle, a firefighter moved the F-150 and parked it along 76th Avenue W, partially blocking one lane of traffic, according to a press release.
The truck’s emergency lights were activated to alert drivers. As is standard practice for public safety, the vehicle was left running to keep the emergency lights active, the press release said.
Within approximately three minutes of parking the vehicle on the street, with a contractor just a few feet from the vehicle and firefighters less than 25 feet away, a man accessed the vehicle and drove away. A contractor at the scene witnessed the vehicle strike a different South County Fire F-150 as it fled.
Multiple law enforcement agencies responded and police recovered the vehicle just after noon Friday in the 18500 block of Firlands Way N in Shoreline. The vehicle appears to have sustained only minor cosmetic damage, and all fire department equipment appears to have been untouched, with the vehicle’s fuel card the only item missing. No injuries have been reported in relation to this incident.
“It’s happened a lot across the country,” South County Fire spokesperson Christie Veley said on Friday. “We’ve been fortunate it hasn’t happened in this area up to this point.”
Anyone with information should contact the Edmonds Police Department.
“Like fire departments across Snohomish County and our region, we are very disturbed by recent events targeting emergency services vehicles that belong to and are funded by our community,” said South County Fire Chief Bob Eastman. “South County Fire has been exploring solutions to make our fleet more secure, including potential changes to vehicle engineering, policies and training. We are thankful that no one was hurt and the damage was minimal in this case. We will take appropriate actions to protect these vital services for our community.”
The stolen vehicle will be removed from service until it can be inspected, the press release said. A reserve vehicle will be immediately available if needed.
Michael Henneke: 425-339-3431; michael.henneke@heraldnet.com; X: @ihenpecked
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
