Officials say the fire truck was set up along the road to block lanes of traffic after a crash in the southbound lanes of I-35W near Berry Street.  

At around 5:45 a.m., a car slammed into the fire truck, injuring the driver of the car. The driver was transported to a hospital with minor injuries.

Honoring the long-held tradition in the fire service to “push back,” a new fire apparatus when it’s received and placed in service, a custom that dates back to a time when horses pulled fire wagons, Fire Station No. 2 held a small ceremony of its own Thursday. The station has been in operation for 50 years but was recently torn down and rebuilt into a new red and white building located near the corner of Harvey Avenue and Main Street.  

The new building was paid for through a $1.4 million bond voted on by city commissioners, but the final approval took some maneuvering. There was consensus that a new Fire Station No. 2 was needed. But when city commissioners in late 2017 discussed the prospect of a new fire station there, some representatives from the neighboring community garden were concerned about the new station wiping out their garden.  

The garden’s president, John Goolsby, testified to commissioners that for more than a decade, dozens of families and people from the community planted, tended to and harvested 54 different types of vegetables.

The fire department says two ambulances and a patrol truck were saved from the fire, but one fire engine sustained heat and fire damage.

The department says they are currently using borrowed vehicles and gear.

Gautreau learned in late June from department mechanics that Ladder 6, an 18-year-old vehicle, was not going to pass inspection because its frame was rusted and deteriorated. It was subsequently taken out of commission.  

The truck was purchased in 2001 and has responded to 25,000 emergencies , logging 82,600 miles and 13,800 hours of operation. The department’s spare ladder truck, a 1994 vehicle purchased in 2009, is being used as a replacement.

Gautreau said he hopes it will be a temporary situation.