A fire broke out at an Oceanside Fire Station Tuesday morning and left behind a building that its battalion chief called “uninhabitable.”
A driver reported the fire just before 10 a.m. after passing by Oceanside Fire Station 3, located on Oceanside Boulevard.
The fire started inside the station’s sleeping quarters, Oceanside Fire Department Battalion Chief Scott Stein said. A permanent furnace is located adjacent to the room.
No one was inside the station when the fire began.
Twenty-seven firefighters responded from neighboring stations in Oceanside and Carlsbad to put out the blaze, Stein told NBC 7.
Video of the aftermath shows a blackened door, scorched by the fire. Minor scorch marks could also be seen on various external windows.
The majority of the damage occurred on the second floor, Stein said. The station’s lower level had minimal damage.
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Stein said fires have started in fire stations before, but “in my 27-year career, we have not had a fire in a fire station in Oceanside, I can tell you that.”
Five people stationed at Oceanside Fire Station 3 have been relocated to other fire stations throughout the city, Stein said. It is not clear when they can return to the station, but Stein estimated at least one month.
“This is really a hit to the city because it’s centrally located. This is the central-most fire station in the city. So, these units on any fire in the city are always responding because of their proximity to other fires,” Stein told NBC 7.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Vista Fire Department will lead that investigation, Stein said.
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