An early morning blaze left an upstate New York community without a fire station.
Firefighters were called to the Ionia fire station on County Road 14 around 3 a.m. and found flames engulfing the building.
The first members to arrive were able to get the four apparatus out of the station and they began hitting the flames with that equipment.
The roof of the station collapsed at units from 10 departments responded to the scene, WHEC.com reported.
Officials told the television station that the closest hydrant to the fire station did not work, so tankers were needed to bring water to the scene.
“We're used to it. That's the way we operate so we know how to do it," Ionia Fire Chief Lynn Parrish said. "We are good at getting water here quickly. We know enough to get the water started and not wait.”
“Maybe now that the fire house did what it did, maybe people will change their minds,” former volunteer firefighter James Dunne said about past efforts to add new hydrants to the community.
Crews from Mendon and East Bloomfield will pick up calls until Ionia crews are back on their feet.
