A fire this past Friday morning damaged a Washington Parish District 6 fire station and destroyed one fire truck and damaged another.
The fire was reported at 9:36 a.m. Friday morning at District 6’s Station #2, located south of Varnado alongside Highway 21.
An investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office is in progress, but early indications are that the fire was caused by an electricial problem. The State Fire Marshal’s Office reported that the worst damaged vehicle was plugged in and charging when an electrical malfunction occurred.
Responding to the fire were the other trucks operated by District 6 at the Varnado Station, as well as units from District 5 at Angie and the Bogalusa Fire Department.
Firefighters said that in addition to the loss of the fire truck and the damage to the other fire truck,, the station itself suffered damage from both high heat and smoke.
Officials with District 6 said there will be no interruption in service to their assigned area.
In a released statement, the State Fire Marshal’s Office wrote:
“While there has not been a determination of the exact contributing factor that led to the electrical malfunction, at this time, there does not appear to be any fault on behalf of the fire station staff regarding the routine maintenance and charging requirements that they follow for their equipment.
However, this unfortunate situation is a good reminder to the public that even when doing seemingly everything right, things still happen. That’s why it’s important to have a working smoke alarm in your home to alert you and your loved ones to a fire emergency to escape safely.”
