A fire engine buried under the fallen debris of Manea fire station is to be removed and sent away for repairs.
Manea fire station is closed following an incident during Thursday’s training night when the engine bay collapsed on to the pump.
Area commander Maurice Moore refused to comment on speculation that the damage was caused by an open drawer on the fire engine hitting the brickwork around the engine bay.
In the meantime a security guard has been stationed at the Westfield Road site to stop people trying to get in.
Mr Moore said: “Damage to the pump is repairable and it will go away to specialist vehicle providers for repairs. With regard to the building, we are now in receipt of a structural engineer’s report and the insurance company is in the process of selecting a company to deal with the repairs.
“As to the cause, an investigation is still ongoing at the moment and we are waiting for the report back from an independent investigator so are unable to comment further at present.”
He said there was security on site to prevent anyone trying to enter the site and to protect the building.
“We have recently recruited new members of staff for Manea and we will seek to have the station up and running again as soon as we possibly can,” he said.
Chief fire officer Chris Strickland assured villagers they can still expect a fire engine to be with them in the fastest possible time in an emergency.
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