DALLAS, Texas — Crews with Dallas Fire-Rescue started battling a 3-alarm fire Thursday night at a large inventory warehouse off of Harry Hines Boulevard, and didn't finish cleanup until late Friday night.
The building, per Dallas Fire-Rescue, is a total loss.
But firefighters told WFAA that the property could have been saved if a nearby station wasn't out-of-service.
Just a few blocks from the fire sits Station 30. It's been closed for repairs since November 2019. The City discovered structural issues related to the building's foundation.
The fire crew that used to call that building home now responds to calls out of Dallas Fire Station 35 at 3839 Walnut Hill Lane. That location is almost three miles away.
Station 35 wasn't the first crew on scene Thursday night, however. Station 43 had to respond, which is nearly the same distance from the area.
The response time was 3 minutes and 45 seconds.
It's well below the National Fire Protection Association response time standard, which is within five minutes.
But Dallas Fire Fighters Association President Jim McDade said it's still not good enough when there's a station that should be seconds away.
"This could have been different. It should have bene different," McDade said.
WFAA covered this issue in December of last year.
Dustin Sample lost part of his home thanks to a small electrical fire.
He called 911, and after getting through, it took the Station 30 crew 4 minutes and 40 seconds to arrive from Station 35, according to fire department spokesperson Jason Evans.
But by the time firefighters got on scene, their efforts were no match for the fire.
"They got on the roof and it started to cave in, so at that point, they just came back and had to let it burn. There was nothing they could do," said Sample.
The Dallas father told WFAA that he felt helpless watching his home wither away.
"A lot of great memories there. I was just thinking, 'God help me.' I don't want anybody to ever go through this. It's hard," said Sample.
For McDade, the situation is deja vu.
"There is a gap in coverage for this area and it's preventable, there's no excuse for it," McDade said. "If this were a private company--that building would have been fixed in months not almost two years."
In December, the City told WFAA that construction efforts to repair Station 30 would begin earlier this year.
But a lot has to be done.
Utility lines have to be removed, the north wall of the building has to be re-supported, and the foundation also needs repair.
An underground fuel tank must also be relocated.
Per Jason Evans, repairs are expected to be done by the end of this year.
But McDade is tired of losing property and tired of waiting.
"We're not even talking about rebuilding a fire station, we're talking about repairs and we're pushing two years for it," said McDade.