By FireRescue1 Staff
LOS ANGELES — Firefighters awoke to a fire call early Thursday — this time, at their own station.
Five Orange County firefighters were sleeping at the station when they heard an explosion from the garage, reported NBC Los Angeles. The fire spread to the first and second floors, as well as the attic.
All firefighter safely evacuated the station; one 100-foot aerial was lost in the flames, as were two boats and a chief’s vehicle. About $1.5 million in fire equipment may have been destroyed, according to Orange County Fire Capt. Larry Kurtz said.
Over 60 firefighters responded to the fire. “We have plans in place for scenarios like this. We’re a very large organization and we have plenty of backup apparatus and quarters,” Capt. Kurtz said.
The 50-year-old station was slated to close later this year once a new $13 million station is built nearby, reported the Orange County Register.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.