Story by Chris Lawrence
A paramedic sleeping at the Teays Valley fire station in Putnam County got an alarming wakeup around 3 a.m. Thursday.
“He awoke to smoke and heard popping sounds downstairs,” said Joey Puterbaugh, deputy chief of the Teays Valley Fire Department.
Turns out the department’s utility truck had a fire in the engine compartment parked in the bay of the fire station. The paramedic called 911 and surrounding community fire departments responded.
“The fire was contained mostly to the bay area, but the one vehicle was heavily damaged,” said Puterbaugh.
The truck is a utility truck used to haul tools and personnel and is normally used in response to non-fire related calls. A cause for the fire is not known. Puterbaugh said it was fortunate they had the station manned at that hour.
“It’s hard to tell how long it would have went without anybody noticing. Being at three in the morning it could have taken a long time to realize what was going on. The way we see it, it could have been a lot worse and nobody got hurt so that’s what really matters,” he said.
Puterbaugh said a number of other departments have reached out to offer assistance if needed.