A burglary and theft of $50,000 worth of firefighting and emergency equipment at a Woodland fire station could temporarily slow emergency services to the nearby rural community, fire officials said Tuesday.
Cowlitz County Fire District 1 Assistant Chief Bob Kofstad said volunteers with the station discovered the break-in Monday, Dec. 28, while checking on Station 3 at 120 Woodland Heights Rd. The station is not staffed every day and does not have surveillance cameras, so the exact date of the burglary is unknown, Kofstad said.
The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident, Kofstad said. Deputies could not be reached Tuesday to provide additional details about the investigation.
Kofstad said that the suspected burglars broke in through the back of the
station by ripping out an exterior wall and kicking down the interior wall.