Thomas Gounley

TGOUNLEY@NEWS-LEADER.COM

Firefighters with the Sparta Fire Protection District responded to a blaze at one of their own stations Thursday evening.

The building in Bruner — one of two stations the district operates — is considered a total loss, Assistant Chief Dusty Colyer told the News-Leader.

Colyer said that someone drove by the station at approximately 10 p.m. Thursday and noticed light smoke coming from the building. That individual called the fire chief, who called emergency dispatch.

The fire protection district is all volunteer. The stations are not manned. Firefighters only go when they need to respond to a blaze.

Colyer said that about 10 Sparta volunteers responded to the blaze and that other districts nearby also contributed aid.

"When we first got there, we thought we'd be able to get it under control pretty quick," Colyer said.

Colyer said he believes the fire started at the building's gas heater. It ignited a nearby wall, and the blaze then spread to the ceiling and the attic, he said.

There were four firetrucks in the building when the blaze started, Colyer said, and one of the first priorities upon responding was getting them out. Three were successfully extracted, although they suffered smoke damage. The fourth fire truck was still inside when the roof of the building collapsed.

The Sparta district was able to use trucks from its other station — located about six miles away in the city of Sparta itself — to fight the blaze, Colyer said. Firefighters were on the scene until about 2 a.m. There were no injuries.

Colyer estimated the damage at about $150,000, on the assumption that the building and the fourth truck are total losses. The protection district's annual budget is about $200,000.

"Right now we're just hoping and praying insurance covers the damage, so we can get back to that station," Colyer said.

Earlier this year, guns, ammo and uniforms were stolen from the Sparta police station.

The protection district is already building a new fire station — but it's to replace Station No. 1 in Sparta, not the building that was destroyed Thursday night.

Colyer said he's been a firefighter for four years, and he's heard stories about firefighters elsewhere responding to a blaze at their own station, or their own home.

"It's not real typical, but it does happen," he said.