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Potsdam's $250K street sweeper destroyed in fire discovered at garage by firefighters

Posted 5/22/18

By CRAIG FREILICH POTSDAM – The village’s street sweeper was destroyed by fire in the village garage Monday night. It also caused “significant damage” to the sewer flushing machine, an …

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Potsdam's $250K street sweeper destroyed in fire discovered at garage by firefighters

Posted

By CRAIG FREILICH

POTSDAM – The village’s street sweeper was destroyed by fire in the village garage Monday night.

It also caused “significant damage” to the sewer flushing machine, an overhead door, and melted some wiring, according to Department of Public Works Superintendent Jim Corbett.

“It was used yesterday, and then parked in the garage” at about 1:30 p.m., Corbett said.

It was discovered by Potsdam Fire Department personnel who were at the DPW gas pumps fueling some trucks for training exercises.

“They saw some smoke coming out of the building, and went inside and found the sweeper fully involved. They called it in” at about 7:30 p.m., said Corbett, who is also a volunteer firefighter.

Elements of fire companies from nearby West Potsdam, Norwood, and Hannawa Falls arrived to help.

“There was nothing left of it but the skeleton,” Corbett said of the machine, which he estimates would cost between $200,000 and $250,000 to replace.

Corbett says the village insurance company has been notified.

Corbett had reported to the Board of Trustees at their May meeting earlier in the day that the sweeper had been making a round of cleanups, and had been in Norwood that day.

The machine was due to return to Norwood, and the department was planning more village work, Corbett said.

It had also been sweeping in the village, and in areas of the Brasher State Forest for the state DOT recently.

“It goes where it’s needed. It goes anywhere, under the shared municipal services agreement,” he said.