When a tornado was forecast to hit Hughes Spring, TX, Friday night, volunteer firefighter Randy Jones headed to the station.
Jones was preparing chainsaws and emergency equipment expecting to help in damage areas, not knowing what was coming next.
“It just hit. The rain hit, and 10 seconds later the building started coming apart,” Jones told KLTV.
Jones somehow got underneath a vehicle, then a workbench toppled over, possibly shielding him from flying debris.
“I was trying to hang on where I wasn’t going through the air,” he said.
Jones eventually got out but didn’t go home.
“Same night it hit, he was out until 2 in the morning doing clean up,” his wife, Michelle, told reporters.
Firefighters gathered to salvage what records and equipment they could from the mangled I-beams and collapsed rooms of their wrecked building.
“It carries a lot of emotions with it too. This was our home for 40 years or so. Of course, it’s sad to see it like this,” said longtime volunteer firefighter John Burson.
Fire Chief Jay Cates told reporters that Hughes Spring has been hearing from departments hundreds of miles away that want to help.
“Everybody’s heard our situation, offered their help. You just can’t beat that.” he said
