Fire station catches on fire in St. Joseph County
Posted: Oct 25, 2011 10:13 PM EDT | Updated: Nov 6, 2014 12:16 PM EDT
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. -- Clay Fire Territory is dealing with yet another mishap after one of its fire stations caught fire.
A few weeks ago one of its engines collided with a police car and Tuesday crews worked to douse a blaze that erupted in the attic of Clay Fire Station number four off of State Road 23 and Elm Road.
In a scene filled with irony, firefighters worked feverishly to save their own fire station from going up in flames.Tonight, Clay firefighters are calling themselves lucky.
Fire officials says the blaze could have been a lot worse if it had happened at night when firefighters were sleeping or if firefighters had been responding to a call.
"They were able to put the fire truck out and commence firefighting operations almost immediately and that's what really saved the fire station from burning down," say Clay Fire Chief John Vance.
Fire officials say the fire started in attic where a construction crew had been working earlier in the day. Firefighters say the crew was grinding metal and that is what they believe sparked the insulation to burn.
"The station is being remodeled so that we can exit out of Elm Road verses State Road 23," says Vance.
Firefighters say that because insulation fires can spread quickly, they called in crews from all the neighboring Clay Fire Stations with the exception of one.
Off-duty firefighters were also called in to battle the blaze and crews from Niles, Notre Dame and Penn Township were put on call to help cover Clay Territory's calls while its firefighters worked to put out the fire.
The fire chief says it was all done with one goal in mind: re-open the station as soon as possible and continue serving the community.