Fire engine stops dead

                              There was a bizarre scene in Southwest Philly about 10 a.m. yesterday, when Engine 69 was suddenly halted on its way to investigate a remote fire alarm that went off in a property on Mario Lanza Boulevard near Lindergh.
                              The culprit was the fire engine's drive shaft, which unexpectedly fell out of the vehicle, Executive Fire Chief Peter Crespo said.
                              Firefighters from Pipeline 40 scrambled to Mario Lanza Boulevard, where they found that the alarm had been tripped accidentally.
                              Crespo said Engine 69 was using a backup vechicle that was more than 20 years old ----- and had more than 100,000 miles on it ------- because its primary apparatus was undergoing maintenance work.
                              "This is not a frequent occurrence," Crespo said.  "If this had been a confirmed emergency ............. we could have had additional resources there within minutes."