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Cause of Monroe County fire station blaze believed to be fire engine, captain says

The cause of the fire is believed to be an engine used two hours earlier to respond to another fire

SMARR, Ga. — People who live in Smarr are wondering what's next after a Saturday night fire damaged their neighborhood's fire station. 

Fire Station #10 is a 24-hour station where volunteers are often trained. Usually one or two people at a time work there, but nobody was there during the Saturday night fire.

Monroe County Emergency Services says it was called for the fire around 11 p.m.

Fire Captain Christina Bramlett says one of their fire members who lives nearby responded four minutes later, along with units from Bolingbroke and Forsyth.

"We believe it came from the engine compartment side of the engine. It is a 20-year-old engine, but it is still under investigation," said Bramlett.

She says the roof collapsed as crews tried to put the fire out, and the engine bay area is destroyed. They were able to save the day room because the side door was closed.

"This has just been a special spot. Before the fire station, this was the old school building for Smarr. My dad went through the sixth grade here," said Joe Evans.

Evans grew up in Smarr, a small town in Monroe County, that holds a lot of history.

"Somewhere along the way -- and it was just a great blessing -- the county built the fire station here and gave this part of the county access to emergency services as well as fire protection," said Evans.

He says he saw the need for a fire station up the street when his mother fell down the stairs on Christmas Day.

"She fell and hit her head on the concrete and it knocked her out. The EMTs from this fire station were right there in minutes and it's a blessing to have that support close to home," said Evans.

Monroe County Emergency Services says its thankful for the community's support. Bramlett says they'll decide what to do once the investigation is over, but she is hopeful that they will eventually rebuild.

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