Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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Keawe Naluai, Draper Resident: "I was actually amazed that a fire station was on fire."
An overnight fire hits close to home for firefighters who wake up to find their own fire station full of smoke and flames. The fire happened at the South Mountain Station 114 in Draper. No one was seriously hurt, but the freezing-cold temperatures didn't help.
There's a lot of ice around here and two firefighters slipped and fell while fighting this fire. They'll be ok, but take a look at the roof. Part of it was destroyed. It'll be a while before firefighters can work out of there again.
Keawe Naluai: "I was watching TV and all of a sudden I heard glass break, so I thought it was somebody breaking into my neighbor's house."
Turns out it wasn't a burglar, but a fire at the fire house in his backyard.
Keawe Naluai: "There were a lot of flames. It looked like about 30 to 40 feet at one time, just blazing."
It was about 2 o'clock this morning. Five firefighters were asleep inside.
Capt. Jay Torgersen, Unified Fire Authority: "There's a pretty big fire separation, what we call a one-hour fire separation where we keep vehicles and where the firefighters sleep, so the smoke and fire had not gotten into that area yet."
But once the firefighters knew what was happening, they wasted no time.
Capt. Jay Torgersen: "They were able to get out quickly and were able to move the fire engine, ambulance and another vehicle out of the truck bay."
Other agencies helped put out the fire, but bone-chilling temperatures made it challenging.
Capt. Jay Torgersen: "That was one thing that made it extremely difficult, were the near zero temperatures. We put a lot of water on the fire and once it hit the ground it froze almost immediately."
Investigators believe the fire started in the area where the vehicles are parked, but the cause is still a mystery. Part of the roof was destroyed. People who live in the neighborhood hate to see it that way.
Keawe Naluai: "It was a gorgeous fire station. I think it was the nicest one in the valley. It had a lot of equipment in there. It's just sad that it happened."
Authorities want to assure residents that they will have fire service. While repair work is being done firefighters here will temporarily be housed at another fire station in Draper.
