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DETROIT (WJBK) - Some Detroit firefighters are under fire tonight for wrecking a rig and then trying to cover it up.
Last month when two Detroit firefighters out of Engine 55 decided to use a rig for their personal ride - it did not end well.
Sources say on March 30, two Detroit firefighters who work out of Engine 55 on Joy Road wanted to go out for a bit of a joy ride. They tried to convince the driver of the rig to get behind the wheel, but when he refused, a firefighter who had only been on the job a few years, decided to drive.
Where they went is unknown but we're told somewhere along the way he lost control of the expensive fire truck and slammed into the wall of the median near Southfield and I-96.
They rushed back to the fire house, eventually getting the driver they tried to originally convince to come along, to cover for them, getting that firefighter to take a urine test to screen for drugs and alcohol.
Detroit police responded, but the firefighters claimed someone sideswiped the fire rig. Although they initially lied to police and superiors, their stories didn't line up. Eventually they confessed to causing more than $75,000 worth of damage to the vehicle.
"All I know is that they said it is under investigation and we can't get to it," said a DFD maintenance worker. "They keep it locked up."
The fire truck is now behind locked doors at the Detroit Fire Maintenance Division, considered evidence while Detroit Fire Commissioner Eric Jones tells us an investigation is underway.
In the meantime the two firefighters involved in the wreck and the one firefighter who helped cover for them, are on administrative leave without pay.
The mayor's office referred comment to Detroit Fire and the commissioner will only say it is under investigation.
The president of the fire union says:
"It remains the policy and practice of the Detroit Firefighters Association not to discuss a member and/or member’s internal matters publicly.
"Detroit firefighters/EMS are rescuing and saving more lives like no other time in the city of Detroit's history."