UPDATE 6:15 p.m., May 31, 2019:
A judge issued a temporary restraining order Friday for people at Julian Fire Station 56 to immediately leave the premises. A county spokesman said the missing fire engine had “materialized” but did not provide any additional information.
We will continue to follow this story.
Original Story:
The San Diego County Fire Authority is in the contested process of taking over two stations from the volunteer Julian-Cuyamaca Fire Protection District, or JCFPD. The process includes inspecting all property and equipment but a San Diego County spokesperson said one of the fire engines at a JCFPD station is missing.
Last year, the previous fire board voted to dissolve the district. The board's decision was upheld by LAFCO, the Local Agency Formation Commission, which oversees special districts like the JCFPD. Voters in Julian also voted this year to dissolve the volunteer department — but the move to take over the JCFPD is now being challenged in court.
During the legal process, a county spokeswoman said there has been an agreement to let the county make daily inspections of JCFPD's two fire stations — Julian Fire Station 56 and 57. In early April JCFPD volunteers locked themselves inside of station 56 and a county spokeswoman said the people are still there.
"We’ve been asking the individuals who are still at station 56 in Julian to produce the fire engine — pursuant to the court order that allows the county to inspect all JCFPD property daily — but they have not," the spokeswoman said.
RELATED: Volunteer Firefighters Refuse To Leave Julian Station
The county said the engine is valued between $200,000 to $300,000. A complaint has been made to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
