After more than two decades, the Cambria Township (PA) Volunteer Fire Company will soon have a new station, as crew members Monday broke ground for the 4,900-square-foot addition to the current digs, reports altoonamirror.com.

To be located on Reese Avenue in Colver, the new station has been in the works since 1998. Financial and operational hurdles had impeded its progress, though.

The new facility will cost $643,000, with it all being funded in-house. It is being built by MD Sleppy Construction Group and is estimated to take six to eight months to complete.

The current station was built in 1972 and received small renovations and additions in the 1990s. It has just two bay doors, though the department has four apparatus.

The new station will feature an individual bay door for each apparatus, while the bay at the current station will eventually be transitioned into a social hall, the report says.

Binghamton (NY) held a groundbreaking ceremony to start the construction of a new, downtown fire department headquarters, according to a report published by WBNG 12.

According to the television station, the location of the new station 235 Court St., was selected because it has access to the highway across the street and is centrally located.

The new $8.5 million structure will be about 20,000 square feet in size, have five drive-through bays, a bunk area as well as a decontamination area.

Once completed, the new station which has been in the plans for decades, will replace a 50-year-old fire department headquarters at City Hall which closed recently because of structural concerns, according to the TV station.  

To raise funds for a new apparatus and station expansion, the Melvin (IA) Fire Department its sixth annual cookoff fundraiser on Saturday, August 28—an all-day affair in De Graaf County Park, reports nwestiowa.com.

Officials say the existing space is too cramped to hold the department’s gear, and the garage has barely any spare room either.

The station houses six apparatus, and the department is looking to take over the building next door—the former site of the Melvin Market, the report notes.

Taking over the former market is just about complete, thanks to a favorable deal with Iowa State Bank. Officials say all that’s left is paperwork before the renovation can begin. The bigger obstacle is $200,000 that needs to be raised for a new truck; the crew is still using the pumper bought when the station opened in 1980. Officials are hopeful that by this time next year the purchase is underway.

As for the cookoff, officials say they’re anticipating having about 30 contestants this year. It will begin at 8 a.m., and judging starts at 4 p.m. A community dinner is planned for after the competition with hamburgers, potato salad, and baked beans on the menu.

There are first-place cash prizes of $500 up for grabs in the chicken, pork, and beef categories. There’s also contests for best appetizer and dessert, and a raffle for those who aren’t master chefs, the report says.

The driver of a pickup truck that collided this morning (Thursday, Aug. 26) with a Denton (TX) Fire Department fire truck was seriously injured and had to be extricated from the vehicle, according to a report published by NBCDFW 5.

According to the television station, no firefighters were hurt in the crash that happened at about 5 am on Interstate 35E between Mayhill Road and Texas 288.

The highway was closed for several hours due to the accident, but all lanes were eventually opened, the station reported.

Authorities have not said what cause the crash, the television station reported.