Florida Firehouse Burns Down After Lightning Strike

Aug. 11, 2004
A fire station burned down in this rural north Florida town after lightning struck its tin roof, starting the blaze.
DORCAS, Florida (AP) -- A fire station burned down in this rural north Florida town after lightning struck its tin roof, starting the blaze.

The fire destroyed the wood-framed station, an attack truck and a pumper truck on Tuesday, said fire Capt. John Polinsky. There were no injuries, he said.

The all-volunteer fire crew rushed to their station at about 5:30 a.m. after a passer-by called 911 to report the blaze, Polinsky said.

When they arrived, they saw ``a lot of flames and no roof.''

With most of their equipment in the building, they had to wait for support to arrive to even begin fighting the flames.

The fire district has eight active firefighters working out of two stations. Firefighters from two other districts also responded.

On Wednesday, an insurance adjuster was to examine the damage and a rental fire truck was to arrive from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to help respond to emergencies, Polinsky said.

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