The Pierce-brand aerial ladder truck, which was placed into service only a couple of days before the Oct. 30 accident, was damaged when firefighters from the Cash Corner Station were testing the aerial and struck a power line on Skillin Street, sending an electrical current through the truck that damaged its complex electronics and sparked a fire on the front right tire.  

No one was injured and the tire fire was extinguished, but the truck has been placed out of service since the incident. The updated statement on Wednesday also outlined the process ahead for the city, which is insured by the Maine Municipal Association.

For months, Dufek traced the truck from department to department, until learning it was last used at a small department in Kinniconick, Kentucky. The fire chief there remembered an old fire truck in a nearby salvage yard. The chief sent a picture to Dufek. The truck read "Kinniconick" all over it, with no mention of Carmel. Still, Dufek was convinced.

"I was 80% sure it was our truck, but I wasn't totally sure,” Dufek said.

Dufek then traveled to Kentucky to see the truck himself. When he opened up the door, the first thing he saw was that small metal "City of Carmel" tag.