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The Syracuse Fire Fighters Local 280 posted this photo of a city plow burning in front of a fire station on West Street Tuesday morning.

(Facebook)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A city snowplow caught fire Tuesday morning just feet from a fire station. The station, however, had no means to fight the blaze and had to wait for an engine to arrive from a mile away.

The local firefighters union used a photo of the burning truck to chide the mayor for cutting department funding four years ago.

"Pretty embarrassing when a DPW truck catches fire next to a fire station, but there's no engine housed there thanks to the mayor's budget cuts," a post on the union's Facebook page read.

According to union president Paul Motondo, there is no engine company at Fire Station No. 6 on South West Street, where the snowplow caught fire Tuesday. The nearest firefighting unit is at Station No. 5 on North Geddes Street, a little more than one mile away.

"Every firehouse has an engine except that one," Motondo said. "That was one of the engines taken out of service" after Station No. 7 closed.

Motondo is referring to Mayor Stephanie Miner's decision to close Station No. 7 on East Fayette Street in 2013 and reduce citywide staffing from 69 to 65 firefighters per shift. At the time, the Common Council approved spending $1.6 million to keep the fire house open, but Miner opted to close it.

When Station No. 7 closed, the engine company from Station No. 6 was moved downtown, Motondo said. The building now only houses a rescue company with no water or hose.

The cause of the fire is still being determined, according to a city spokesman. There were no serious injuries, although the truck's driver bruised his knee exiting the vehicle.

The mayor's office declined to comment on the union's criticism.