Firefighters wake up to flames at their fire station
By Irene Cruz and KABC staff
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HUNTINGTON PARK, California (KABC) — Los Angeles County firefighters woke up Wednesday morning to smoke and fire filling their station in Huntington Park.
The fire broke out around 4 a.m. at Fire Station 164 on Santa Fe Avenue, according to the county fire department.
Nine firefighters were asleep inside the station when a passerby began banging on the doors to alert them about the flames. They grabbed their gear and tried to get a handle on the fire, but additional units were called to the scene.
The fire was declared a 2nd alarm structure fire and was eventually extinguished around 5:15 a.m.
The fire started on the apparatus floor. The cause has not been determined, but fire officials said it might have started with a fire engine.
AIR7 HD was over the scene where there was a massive response from firefighters after the flames had been extinguished. There was significant damage left behind, including a large hole in the roof of the building. At least two fire trucks and another vehicle were burned.
Nobody was injured, but the firefighters were reeling from the emotional aftermath.
“Yeah, emotionally they’re having a tough time…,” said Assistant Fire Chief Trey Espy. “They’re gathering their personal belongings, whatever they can salvage… This is like a second home. Most of our fire stations are like second homes to our firefighters, so it’s really tough for them to lose something so dear and so close and personal to them.”
L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn visited the fire station to survey the scene later in the morning.
“It’s devastating to see it. The rigs, the engines, the flooring, the roof, it’s all completely destroyed,” she said.
Huntington Park Mayor Karina Macias says the building has history in the city.
“It used to be an original Huntington Park fire station, when Huntington Park had their own fire department. (It) eventually became a county station. Our firefighters have given back to a lot to the community, so we definitely are here to give back to them now in this situation.”
Despite the damage it sustained, the building is not a total loss. It can be renovated for use once again.
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