Fire Truck Stolen by Valley Teen

This Visalia fire engine was in the shop Monday. Over the weekend, police say a 16 year old boy took off in it while the firefighters were on a medical call. The Madera teen was arrested and charged with being under the influence. Firefighters say the teen crashed the truck into some light poles and drove with the emergency brake on. They estimate the damage will cost $30-thousand dollars.

Charlie Norman, Visalia Battalion Chief: "With the paint and body work it's probably going to be a month or two. With the transmission and the brake parts it's probably going to have to go into the shop in Northern California so it'll probably be out of service for a couple of months."

Firefighters say fire protection won't be affected, because the department has several reserve engines to use while this one gets fixed.