VIDEO: A part of history was destroyed when the Washington Fire burned through storage for the Sonora Fire Museum.
“You can barely see the old Sonora Fire Department logo,” said Jim Lillie, with the museum.
A 1953 Sonora fire truck was badly damaged by the flames.
“Even the ladder melted on top, it got so hot,” Lillie told FOX40.
Lillie said, before the fire, the truck was used in local parades and competitions.
“This engine didn’t have 6,000 miles on it, and it still had the original paint,” Lillie said. “It had never been restored. It was almost as good as it came off the showroom floor.” For Mike Mandell, a retired firefighter, the fire truck held memories of a not-too-distant past.
“I drove this particular one on many a wildland fires. I slept in it for weeks one year,” Mandel said.
Mandell said it pained him to see it in its current condition.