NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It happens after all the big fires — the Nashville Fire Department calls a news conference and gives tips on ways to prevent this from happening again.
"Turning off that stove, not grilling within 10 feet of a home, or not grilling on that balcony patio," said Kendra Loney, Public Information Officer for NFD.
But inevitably, a similar fire happens again.
"There was indeed a kitchen fire, with flames and smoke, coming from the roof area," said Loney.
Sure enough, Sunday afternoon while Station One was cooking dinner, they got a call about an apartment fire in their district.
"Our firefighters are responding to those tones as soon as they go off," she said.
That call ended up being a bust. Then came another one with a familiar address— the address of the fire station itself. The firefighters rushed back to their own fire hall, to find flames shooting out of the roof and the kitchen engulfed in flames.
"There were lights that were melted," said Loney. "Some of the glue that was on the floor was basically melted away."
The range was left charred, the kitchen ruined and firefighters are now temporarily displaced.
"Right now, we don’t have a nailed downtime for the repairs. We know it’s going to be at least several weeks before crews are able to respond from this fire hall," said Loney.
The culprit ended up being that pot of food, left on the burning stove.
"We’re just as vulnerable as everyone else," Loney said. "The irony is not lost on me."
She is the first to admit, the best thing they could have done to avoid this would be following their own advice.
"Here we are, we are just like you because we’re in your community. We’re just inviting you into this space to show you, it can happen anywhere, even at a fire station," Loney said.
But while they're at it, they have one more tip that they've now learned firsthand. Sometimes, beyond water and hoses, firefighters also need to be armed with grace.
"They’re human," said Loney. "We’re not asking for forgiveness because it happens. It’s life," said Loney.
Nashville Fire says some of their newer fire halls have technology, like sprinklers and gas line sensors, that could have prevented all this. However, they simply don't have the budget to upgrade all of their halls right now.
