West Warwick’s fire chief said he doesn’t know when Station 2, damaged by a fire engine on March 10, will reopen. But Chief Jeffrey Varone also said he had hoped it would have returned to service already.
Varone said a structural engineer inspected the building the day after the accident. As of Monday, he continued, a contractor was awaiting architectural drawings and will then be able to order materials.
Since the station was built in 1910, according to Varone, firefighting equipment has gotten bigger, to the extent that many modern fire engines won’t fit through the overhead door involved in the accident.
The mishap occurred when a hatch on the side of Engine 6, responding to a call, opened and caught on the side of the doorway.