New ladder truck in Terra Bella put right to work

TERRA BELLA, Calif ( KSEE/KGPE ) – Just hours after being put into service for the first time, Tulare County’s newest fire truck was dispatched to its first call, the Tulare County Fire Department says.

On Wednesday, Fire Station 21 in Terra Bella took delivery of a new Spartan 110-foot aerial ladder truck, also dubbed Truck 21.

Firefighters say just before 6 a.m. Thursday they received a report of a second-alarm commercial building fire about 15 miles away in Pixley. The truck was sent to assist other crews at a smoke shop fire at Court Avenue and Main Street by offering vertical ventilation.

Fire personnel say the fire originated in a storage room in the back of the building and the official cause has not been determined. The fire was contained to the contents in the storage room.

Along with a fire engine, Truck 21 resides at the new fire engine bay built to accommodate the apparatus and had its grand opening on March 19. At the same time, the fire station itself underwent improvement and was renovated and updated. The facilities are located at 23658 Avenue 95 in Terra Bella.

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