UPDATE: Armstrong fire base damaged by afternoon fire

Update, 10:54 p.m.: Chief Anthony Shiflett said an insurance adjustor will be in Armstrong Monday to put a dollar amount on the damage done.

Chief Shiflett told ABC 17 News the state fire marshal’s investigation, done Saturday night, determined the fire started in the cab of a tanker truck consumed by the fire. He said they are still waiting to find out what it started it.

So far, two departments outside of Armstrong Fire Protection District’s mutual aid agreement have reached out to help. Fire response services in Bynumville, located in Chariton County, and Cross Timbers, in Hickory County, offered some equipment if the insurance adjustor deemed some of their trucks a total loss.

Departments in Higbee, Salisbury, Glasgow, Huntsville and the Howard County Fire Protection District all will send units if available to help residents served by the Armstrong district.

(Original story): Fire and smoke heavily damaged the Armstrong Fire Protection District Saturday afternoon, requiring other departments to pick up some of their calls.

Chief Anthony Shiflett told ABC 17 News the blaze destroyed parts of the district’s building and one tanker truck. Firefighters were able to get the district’s other vehicles out, but needed to drive them through the closed garage door, since the fire disabled it.

Firefighters and volunteers from Glasgow and Howard County helped put out the fire that Chief Shiflett said started around 1 p.m.

Chief Shiflett said his department would still conduct medical responses, which make up about 90 percent of their calls. However, calls for fires and car crashes would be handled by other departments, such as Glasgow and the Howard County Fire Protection District.

The district is not sure what started the fire, Chief Shiflett said, and are awaiting an investigation from the state fire marshal. In the meantime, the district’s salvaged vehicles would stay across the county. Fayette Station #1 would house three of them, Chief Shiflett said.

No one suffered physical injuries from the fire.

(Editor’s note, 1/9, 7:13 p.m.: The story has corrected the name and references to the agency that handles fire and medical calls for service in Armstrong. An earlier version of the story refers to it as the “Armstrong Fire Department.” The correct name is the “Armstrong Fire Protection District.”)