#Californians are buying their own fire trucks on Craigslist

By Louis Casiano, Fox News

Enlarge Image

A helicopter and crew releases water to extinguish a section of the LNU Lightning Complex Fire near Middletown, California.
Reuters

Concerned over destructive wildfires, a heatwave that could spark another blaze and depleted fire resources, California residents can purchase their own fire trucks via Craigslist for protection.

A Sacramento-based company called Vans from Japan is using the online marketplace to sell the fire vehicles to fight fires, which includes a 2013 Peterbilt water truck that sells for $69,000 and can hold 2,500 gallons, NPR reported.

A Type 6 Fire Truck in Napa is being offered at $17,500 and comes fitted with a Hale pump and 200 feet of hard-line hose with a nozzle, SF Gate reported. A 1995 Toyota Hilux fire truck with only 5,000 miles will set buyers back $17,000.

“This particular unit features ladder and hose racking, a slide-out pump tray in the bed, cargo basket and two spotlights on the driver’s side,” the Craigslist ad reads. “In addition, there are storage compartments integrated into the bedside and a full width rear step for easy access to the bed.”

Another seller is offering a 53-year-old Ford-150 fire truck for $15,000.

Wildfires have become common in California in recent years, destroying whole communities and burning hundreds of thousands of acres.

Soaring temperatures and the building of homes in areas prone to fires have contributed to the lengthy fire season. Some wealthy residents have hired private firefighting crews to defend their property, the newspaper reported.

“People don’t understand the veracity of these fires that we’ve been dealing with the last five or so years,” Cal Fire Fire Captain Scott McLean told the paper.

The fire agency has discouraged people from defending their property from wildfires. McLean noted the fires “are very unpredictable and you can’t project what the fire’s going to do.”