Burglary of Hanover fire station investigated
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an apparent break-in last weekend at Fire Station 1 in Hanover.
According to a Facebook post Monday night by the Hanover Fire Department, the burglary happened between Sunday and Monday afternoons, with a forced entry through a door.
The station is at the intersection of Hanover Road and South Peyton Highway, east of Fountain. The department also has stations on Old Pueblo Road and in the Midway area.
Fire Chief Carl Tatum said that apparently nothing was taken and there are no known suspects.
“There have been reports before about people breaking into fire stations, looking for narcotics or painkillers,” he said. “We don’t keep any of that around. This is the first time we’ve had this happen, and I’m mad. We’re here to help people.”
Tatum said a volunteer firefighter reported the incident after driving past the station and seeing the door kicked in.
“Someone could have been looking for something to steal, maybe got scared by seeing or hearing something and ran away,” he said.
The break-in is an emotional blow to a community recovering from a wildfire, flooding, and a hailstorm last summer, as well as serious injuries to two firefighters who crashed into a washed-out bridge near the station after the hailstorm.
“I hope that this is not what our community is coming to where the Fire Departments in our region (have) to install alarm systems and surveillance cameras,” the post stated.
Tatum said the department has spent at least $50,000 on repairing and replacing damaged equipment from last year’s disasters that weren’t covered by insurance, and can’t afford to install expensive surveillance or security equipment at all three stations.
“That’s another conversation,” he said. “We have to determine if this is an isolated incident or the start of a trend. We don’t want to overreact.”
Property taxes fund the Fire Department’s operations, and some residents seemed willing to pay more to protect the stations from crime.
“Maybe, nowadays, you can’t afford to not do it,” said Jason Bywater . “This community isn’t what it used to be. Many of the longtime residents have died and are being replaced by new people moving in. You used to be able to keep your doors unlocked. Not anymore.”
“I have an alarm system on my 6 acres,” said Chandra Vigil. “Maybe the fire stations should have one, too. People are going to steal, sooner or later.”
“I have a hard time believing anyone from Hanover did this,” said Samantha Bradford. “We’re such a small, tight community. With all the disasters we’ve had, we respect property.”
Tatum said the Fire Department has secured and reinforced locks at all three stations.
In a related matter, Tatum said repairs to a bridge on Old Pueblo Road that was washed out by a storm last summer are finished. Temporary traffic signals are gone and two-way traffic has resumed.
“There’s still a dip in the spot where the road actually washed out,” he said. “It will require some more asphalt. But the rest of the bridge is good to go.”
