By John Estridge
An early morning fire at the Franklin County Highway Department Oldenburg garage destroyed one county truck as well as damaging another truck and part of the building.
According to Franklin County Commissioner Tom Wilson, who is over District 3, which includes Oldenburg, it is believed the fire started around or before 4:30 a.m., Friday, February 5. He credited the quick and excellent work of the Eagle Fire Company of Oldenburg with saving the other four trucks in the garage as well as the garage itself.
Wilson said the one truck is a total loss. It was about three years old with about 54,000 miles on it. He estimated that truck at $100,000. Part of the garage will have to be rebuilt, and there is no estimate on that as of yet.
Another truck, parked next to the destroyed truck, had one side scorched brown, and the outside mirror was melted.
It could have been much worse, he said.
Highway Department employees had left the garage area about 11:30 p.m., Thursday, after treating icy roads and were due to be back into the garage around 6:30 a.m., Wilson said.
A passerby called in the alarm. Wilson happened to be driving by the garage on his way to the airport and drove over to see the situation after seeing the fire department’s emergency lights at the garage. He said the firefighters about had it put out at that point.
As of Friday afternoon, February 5, the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
