<h4>By MINDY LUCAS</h4>
A quick stop for a cold refreshment by firefighters proved to be too much for their fire truck last week.

A crew with the City of Beaufort/ Town of Port Royal Fire Department had just stopped at the Parker’s gas station at the intersection of Savannah Highway and Parris Island Gateway when they noticed their truck seemed to be sinking.

Engine 3 was carrying its normal capacity of 750 gallons of water at the time of the incident which occurred around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 8, said Ross Vezin with the fire department.

There was no indication that a sinkhole lurked beneath the asphalt when the firefighters pulled into the parking lot, he said.

“They pulled the break like they normally do, got out and it just sank all at once. Thankfully they were all out at the time,” he said.

The truck sank 18 inches before coming to a rest on its front axle.&nbsp;

The fire crew called in a reserve engine from another station so they could respond to emergencies in the area, and Engine 3 was pulled free from the sinkhole by a heavy duty wrecker from Interstate Towing, Vezin said.

The hole has been covered with a metal plate and the South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating.