Cedar Rapids police recover firetruck stolen from southwest Iowa

CEDAR RAPIDS - A truck stolen from a fire department in southwest Iowa was found 180 miles away in Cedar Rapids.

Cedar Rapids public safety spokesman Greg Buelow said Cedar Rapids police took a report Monday of a Ford F350 with fire department logos and a light bar parked in the area of 29th Avenue and Huxley Lane SW. Residents told police the truck could have been there as long as a week.

The truck turned out to be one reported stolen last week by the Lorimor Fire Department. Lorimor is located in Union County, southwest of Des Moines.

Buelow said volunteers with the Lorimor Fire Department came to Cedar Rapids and got the truck Tuesday morning. They reported that the truck - used as a grass or field firetruck - was not damaged and the keys were still inside. The truck and fire fighting equipment was valued at approximately $15,000, Buelow said.

'Those that have some experience with volunteer fire departments know they're not usually flush with cash,” Buelow said, noting this time of year can start to see an uptick in brush fires with high winds and warm, dry temperatures. 'You hate to see a small town department without their apparatus because you can't take fire engines off-road.”

Buelow said there are no suspects at this time, nor any indication of why the truck was stolen. Anyone with information is asked to call the police department.