Yarmouth County fire hall damaged by fire

The structure is still standing, but the interior was gutted by the fire, which was noticed by a passerby who saw flames coming out of the building.

The fire was reported at 6:23 p.m., a fire department spokesman said.

A fire truck inside the building was destroyed.

Six fire departments responded to the fire.

Volunteers of the Islands and District department had to borrow gear from other departments as their turnout gear was inside the fire hall at the time of the fire.

Monday's strong winds didn't help the firefighting effort, said Islands and District fire chief John Surette.

The deputy fire marshall was called in and was expected to be at the scene of the blaze Tuesday morning to investigate.

Though still standing, the structural integrity of the building remained to be determined, fire chief Surette said Tuesday morning.

Some of the island residents watching the firefighters at work Monday night acknowledged the irony that the fire occurred just eight days after the Islands and District department held an event commemorating its 25th annivesary.

It was noted on that occasion (the department's annual general meeting on Nov. 5) that the department had come a long way since its inception, having accumulated about half-a-million dollars’ worth of assets, including vehicles, equipment, a fire hall and the property on which it stands.

As the fire chief put it the morning after the fire, referring to the anniversary event, "We were happy. We were proud. We were going forward. Now we have to start all over again."