Hanover Fire Station #2 is out of service after it caught fire on Sunday
FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KRDO) - The Hanover Fire Department is picking up the pieces after Station #2 caught fire Sunday afternoon around 5:30 P.M. According to the Fire Department Chief, the station lost two fire trucks and multiple extractors and other gear was damaged in the fire.
"It was a heavy hit," Hanover Fire Chief Carl Tatum said. "Luckily, we still got two other stations that we're operating out of. We've got really good mutual aid partners that picked up the slack last night."
Tatum said they were out responding to another call when they got a call to respond to their station. The fire took about four hours to put out. The damage will put the station out of commission for the foreseeable future.
"I think right now the key portions of it is dealing with the aftermath of the fires and the losses we've taken here, but also still being able to provide fire and EMS services to our community and then looking at forward getting us back in operation as fast as we can," Tatum said.
According to Tatum, the El Paso County Building Department is working on expediting the permit process so the fire station can build a temporary building to operate out of until the necessary repairs and cleanup are made.
"With the extent of the damages, we're probably looking at late fall or early spring of next year before we're back in operation," Tatum said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, though Tatum says they had fire investigators out late Sunday night to get to the bottom of what started it. He says they will be relying on mutual aid and the two other stations in the Department to pick up the slack in the meantime.
"It just seems like you've taken ten steps forward and get kicked back, five steps back," Tatum said. "You know, we lost a lot of good equipment yesterday, and that's heartbreaking."
