The alarms rang out at 3:57 a.m. at the new fire headquarters, a several million dollar complex with an administration area, a firefighter living area and a community/training area with restrooms and a partial kitchen.
Firefighters traced the smoke to the community area and were surprised to find a local transient passed out in a chair while something was burning in the microwave.
"He had started to make breakfast for himself," said Chief Mike Meinzer.
Meinzer said the transient had discovered an unlocked door, and first went into the women's restroom and stole the feminine hygiene products. He then rummaged through the refrigerator and settled on the sausage.
"He must have been on the Atkins diet because he passed up everything else," Meinzer joked.
The transient popped the sausage into the microwave and passed out, smelling of alcohol, while his breakfast smoldered.
When firefighters found it, the sausage was already burned beyond recognition and the timer on the microwave still had 27 minutes left.
Meinzer said there was no damage to the facility and the intruder was arrested for criminal trespassing, theft, criminal mischief and voluntary intoxication.
The chief said this man was one of many local transients who would sometimes visit the station in order to use the facilities, to get food, to stay warm, or in one case, to watch a favorite TV show on NOVA. Firefighters had nicknames for many of these characters, and called the one who started the sausage fire "Lupe."
The transients primarily used to visit at the former fire station that had no locks, but when firefighters moved two years ago to the new complex, many of the transients followed.
"We'd feed them, usually out of one of the other shifts' refrigerators," Meinzer said. "It was like a magnet because the guys were good to them."
The new station is normally locked at night although firefighters sometimes leave the vestibule open if it' s cold outside. The night of the sausage incident, Meinzer said, firefighters had left a door unlocked so that foundry workers striking in a dispute across the street could use the restrooms.
