VINE GROVE Ky. — An overnight blaze gutted Vine Grove Fire Department Station 3 in Hardin County, severely damaging the building and equipment inside.
Vine Grove Fire Chief Matt Haddle told WDRB there were no injuries as firefighters worked through the night on Aug. 20 to extinguish the blaze. The department lost three apparatus, including an antique 1941 engine used for parades and firefighter funerals and a 3,000-gallon tanker, along with extensive supplies and equipment.
WEBINAR: Ask the architect: Your top station design questions, answered
The department operates three stations. Following the fire, two remain in service.
“This doesn’t compromise any of our responses at all, so we will still be the Vine Grove Fire Department with the quick response time that we have,” Haddle said. Neighboring departments will assist if needed.
Haddle said the cost of the fire is estimated to be close to $1.5 million. The cause has not been reported.
Does your station have monitored smoke/heat detection and automatic fire sprinklers? If not, what’s the barrier? Share your station type/age and any steps you’re taking to add or upgrade protection.
In Terre Haute, where call volume is rising and about 20% are non-urgent, the Crosswalk to Care program connects low-acuity callers to nurse-guided care, easing strain on EMS
Experts warn that the agency’s plan to close most of its research facilities could disrupt critical wildfire and climate data, undermine firefighting efforts and deepen a broader erosion of federal science capacity
An internal report into a 2023 blaze that killed two firefighters found equipment failures, extreme heat and a lack of modern tactics
April 10, 2026 10:36 AM
·
Survey responses reveal divide on industry culture, hiring standards and the future of operations
April 10, 2026 10:54 AM
·
Bipartisan legislation would fund National Fallen Firefighters Foundation programs supporting Fire Hero Families through proceeds from commemorative coin sales