While the Cuba fire station sustained significant damage from a blaze last week, firefighters are still responding.

Cuba Fire Captain Joseph Siedel was at home when he got the alert on his pager.

“When I realized it was our department, I left as soon as I could. This place is like your baby. It’s your life. It’s a secondary home. You’ve been here with your family building trust in a career," he told WPSD.

"As soon as I arrived on scene, the bay doors were open and full of smoke. Our assistant chief, Chris Travis, ran in and got a truck to pull out. I put on some oxygen (sic) and just started grabbing all the gear. Immediately, we called for mutual aid because we didn't know what we were exactly working with, or if we could even get back there to get the trucks out.”

Siedel was overcome by the extreme heat. His heart rate was 170 and temperature of 102.

“I was more focused on getting our supplies out because that's critical. Human safety is number one, but I pushed it just a little bit. I had to be taken to the emergency room, but I bounced right back.”

He quickly added that despite the damage, the Cuba firefighters remained operational as the apparatus was OK.

“...We do not have any electricity, but we are still able to serve the community. If I got a page right now, I would open up that bay, and we would leave. They have nothing to worry about, and we’ll respond to mutual aid, as well. We have everything under control, as if there’s an emergency at the moment.”