Fire department in Cape Breton targeted in furnace oil theft

A group of firefighters in Cape Breton returned to their fire hall after a call early Thursday morning to discover a freezing cold building and twodrained oil tanks.

The theft of an estimated 600litres of furnace oil from outdoor tanks at the Port Morienfire station is a huge blow to the volunteer department, which runs on a fixed budget and does not have thefunds to recoup the loss.

"Bothtanks were completely dry and the perpetrators left the covers off, so we know somebody took the oil," said Deputy Chief Robert Byrn.

Because the firefighters are volunteers, the station can be empty for days at a time, making it a target for thieves. It's unclear when the oil was stolen.

"If we hadn't had a call this morning, we wouldn't have noticed it," said Stewart MacPherson, a firefighter and treasurer with the fire department.

"So by then, I'd say the garage tank would have been empty, too. And once the trucks get cold, we're liable to arrive at the scene and the pumps are frozen. It affects everybody in that way."

The theft is a significant loss to the small fire department, which receives an operational grant from theCape Breton Regional Municipality.

"That grant is ample enough to do business, but ... it doesn't have a lot of room, we'll say for things like this to happen and for departments to take a big hit," said Chris March, deputy fire chief andvolunteer co-ordinator with Cape Breton RegionalFire and Emergency Services.

A lack of fundraising in the past two years due to COVID-19 has also left the Port Morien department in a worse spot than itwould be normally.

Although they know they most likely won't recoup the lost oil,the firefighters said they hope whoever is responsible for the theft is caught.

The reaction to the theft from his fellow firefighters has been "complete disgust," said MacPherson, addingthey've had a few choice words for whoever is responsible.

"Oh, they've been called a few names, too, but I won't go into them," he said.

Cape Breton Regional Police are asking anyone with information on the theft to contact them.