Fire chiefs from across New Brunswick are working to help the Rogersville fire department after it lost its three main trucks in a major fire on Monday morning.

The Rogersville blaze ripped through the municipal office early on Monday morning and destroyed the village hall, fire department and the RCMP office.

The fire happened so quickly that firefighters could not get into the building to save three trucks.

The Rogersville fire department’s three main pumper trucks have been reduced to grey shells.

Rogersville Mayor Pierrette Robichaud said the trucks must be replaced immediately.

"The main thing is to have equipment so that the community feels safe, and if something happens that we can respond as far as emergencies," she said.

Robichaud said the fire wasn't even out before her phone started ringing with offers of help.

Ian Gavet, the fire chief in Miramichi, said they've rearranged their fleet to send a truck down to Rogersville with a breathing apparatus and a vehicle extraction kit, which is commonly known as the Jaws of Life.

"Taking a fire truck out of service isn't exactly optimum but we realize that our partners in Rogersville are very much challenged for equipment at this time," Gavet said.

Offers of help

The offers of help are coming in from across the province.

Oromocto Fire Chief Jody Price said his department has recently bought a new truck. So, he said, the one it was supposed to replace is available for the Rogersville department.

"It's more of a pumper truck that would be used in the village itself, it's got a fairly large capacity pump on it and a decent tank and an enclosed cab for the firefighters to ride both in the front and the back," he said.

Raymond LeBlanc, the fire chief in Memramcook and president of the New Brunswick Association of Fire Chiefs, said this is the first time in the province's history that he's ever heard of a fire station burning down.

"In New Brunswick, we're all like a big family. We go to conventions together. We kind of all know each other," LeBlanc said.

"So we're out there to help them out."

LeBlanc said whatever Rogersville needs, members of the association will find it.

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside said on Twitter on Monday night that his city was also sending some help to Rogersville.

Marc Pitre, the village’s fire chief, is in the process of figuring out what his department needs and where he can store it in Rogersville.

Pitre and Robichaud both say they have been amazed at all the offers of help that they have received from across the province since Monday’s fire.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

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