Isn't it ironic?

(photo courtesy of KTBS NEWS)

This morning around 6 am, Caddo District 1 Fire Station burned, as you can see above, almost to the ground. An explosion from one of the trucks wakened the 6 men on duty and they were able to escape while ironically, neighbors called 911. They say at this point that the cause of the fire was possibly from an electrical short and leaking fuel in a brush truck. Thankfully, no one was injured, although the station is being called a "total loss" and will have to be rebuilt.

This story struck home for me for many reasons, one because I'm writing a fiction novel right now for Love Inspired, contracted for an August 2011 release and titled FIREMAN DAD. I've drawn from real life experiences from my husband's fire department lay-off last year. in the story. But this very station was also one my husband worked at many times over the past several months as a part-timer, and a station he had hoped to get hired on permanently on many occasions including potentially next year. Not sure what this changes for him and other hopeful future hires, or what it means for the current firemen and their jobs. Hopefully nothing negative for them. We've been there, done that!! Ugh.

So please pray for Caddo 1 today and their men and the boards they will be making decisions for the future. They'll all need encouragement. I can't imagine as a fireman how they must feel knowing their station burned around them and they couldn't do anything but leave. So painful...