Engine donated to help firefighters in Ukraine

The 1999 Volvo fire engine is being transported to the city of Mykolaiv in Ukraine

A former Isle of Man fire engine is being donated to a fire station in a war-torn city in Ukraine.

Manx Support for Ukraine (MSfU) is set to transport the vehicle, which is heading to Mykolaiv in the south of the country, later this month.

An anonymous donor provided the funds for charity to buy the emergency vehicle from local events company ELS, which had acquired it at auction.

Charity trustee James Quinn said, who will drive it to Ukraine, said "every corner" of the engine would be filled with medical equipment and supplies that could help the Ukrainian volunteer firefighters.

The fire station in Mykolaiv currently only has one fire engine, which dates back to 1964 and has no on-board water source.

The donated Volvo engine, which was manufactured in 1999, is equipped with water tanks and pumping facilities.

MSfU is also supporting the effort to rebuild the damaged fire station and provide shelter for the engine during the harsh Ukrainian winter.

As well as trying to source firefighting closure, Mr Quinn said they would be sending over "some generators and heaters, anything which we think will be of use to them".

The engine will be filled with supplies to help the volunteer firefighters in Ukraine

Mr Quinn, who is a British Army veteran, said that the situation had "recently gotten worse" in terms of strikes on the city of 478,000 people.

"The Russians are hitting power plants which is going to make it difficult for the people of Mykolaiv over this winter, and it’s going to be a really bad winter," he added.

MSfU has previously supplied 54 pick-up trucks to Ukraine, as well as sending an articulated lorry filled with medical supplies from local facilities.

It has a pool of 14 drivers on the island with HGV licenses who can take vehicles to the Polish border or Ukraine itself, including Mr Quinn, who has driven to Ukraine eight times in the past to make deliveries.