Nahant fire engine breaks down while fighting blaze in Swampscott

NAHANT – A Nahant fire engine had to be towed from the scene of a four-alarm fire in Swampscott Saturday after a mechanical failure.Acting Chief Ed Hyde said Engine 31 broke down while fighting the blaze at 110 Burrill St. on Saturday afternoon.”It appears to be the water pump,” Hyde said. “We had it towed to the Nahant Fire Department. We had to strip it down and take all our equipment off, then it was towed to G/J.”Hyde said it’s tough getting a fire engine serviced on a weekend but G/J towed the engine professionally.”They really stepped up for us,” he said. “They responded in record time and took it to G/J’s because we couldn’t get anyone to fix it.”The fire department took delivery of the $256,000 engine in September 2004. Hyde said the engine is stainless steel, pumps 1,500 gallons a minute, has an automated pumping system and a great turning radius. In 2003, former Chief Lee Fox secured a $211,500 grant for the new engine and Town Meeting appropriated $44,500 to cover the rest of the cost.Hyde said the engine is a workhorse and he expects it to be back in service by Tuesday at the latest.He said the repairs would be paid for with line items in the fire department budget for maintenance and repairs.On Monday, Squad 31, which is a utility vehicle, was in the shop for routine maintenance in the morning and it was back in service the same afternoon.