Texas department’s new $350K firetruck burns during test drive

ABILENE, Texas (AP) — A nearly $350,000 fire truck delivered last month to a West Texas department has gone up in flames during a test drive to check the brakes.
Snyder fire Chief Paul Westmoreland said Friday that the new pumper truck was destroyed a day earlier in Abilene.
Westmoreland says the rig, put into service June 19, was driven Thursday to a Freightliner dealer for warranty work. He says a mechanic and a driver took the truck out to evaluate the brakes when they heard a boom, got out and saw a rear tire on fire. The flames then spread. Nobody was hurt.
Westmoreland says fire officials in Snyder, 80 miles (128 kilometers) southeast of Lubbock, are dealing with insurance issues as they work to rent a replacement truck. The department has more than 20 other firefighting vehicles.