Firefighting can apparently be a dangerous job—even when firefighters aren’t fighting fires. “Recent studies that have been done have shown a correlation between cancer and firefighting,” said South Bend Fire Chief Stephen Cox.

Those who will work at South Bend’s new fire station four should sleep easier, not only because the new building will have eight bedrooms instead of two, but because the living quarters in general will be better buffered from the business portion.

“Some of the things the folks in the fire service have been doing of late is segregating contaminated equipment, vehicles, the diesel exhaust from the trucks and everything from the living quarters In a way that the firefighters are minimally exposed to it,” said Chief Cox.

The new station is designed to be ahead of its time, with solar panels, all LED lighting and 100 percent on-site water retention.

The new building is designed to replace an old building that had fallen behind the times in many ways.

“So the building was built in the early 70-s when the South Bend Fire Department didn't have any female firefighters, so the building wasn't constructed to house more than one sex, or one Gender, of firefighter,” Chief Cox said.

Colyer said that someone drove by the station at approximately 10 p.m. Thursday and noticed light smoke coming from the building. That individual called the fire chief, who called emergency dispatch.

The fire protection district is all volunteer. The stations are not manned. Firefighters only go when they need to respond to a blaze.

Colyer said that about 10 Sparta volunteers responded to the blaze and that other districts nearby also contributed aid.

"When we first got there, we thought we'd be able to get it under control pretty quick," Colyer said.

Colyer said he believes the fire started at the building's gas heater. It ignited a nearby wall, and the blaze then spread to the ceiling and the attic, he said.

There were four fire trucks in the building when the blaze started, Colyer said, and one of the first priorities upon responding was getting them out. Three were successfully extracted, although they suffered smoke damage. The fourth fire truck was still inside when the roof of the building collapsed.

The truck, which cost more than $1 million, was mostly funded with a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant. The department took delivery in October and has been training crew members in anticipation of today’s event, spokesman Steve Mapes said.

It is the department’s first platform truck, which allows a firefighter to stand on an elevated platform behind a heat shield rather than on an exposed ladder. The truck will allow the department to fight fires and do rescue operations at higher elevations, including in such locations as apartment complexes, big-box retail stores and high-rise buildings, officials have said.

"Over the years they've come to know that when the siren is blowing and it's coming in to their subdivision, Santa's coming on a fire truck. And we actually have a lot of older people who enjoy seeing that too," Santa said.

The fire truck made its rounds on Monday and Wednesday as well, and folks in Luray say they look forward to this event every year.

Officials say the other firefighter who was in the vehicle is okay. They say he was taken to the hospital for observation.

The crash was blamed on ice and slick conditions.

Chief Dennis Reilly posted about the crash on the department's Facebook page.