It became a fire station in 1958, and it was most recently used as the Ross Township trustee's office before the title of the property was transferred to the town in 2015, Yerga said.

Deputy Fire Chief Jim Lilley said the renovation project includes making the building look like the previous fire station again. That has involved creating the appearance of firetruck bay doors on the exterior of the building, but the doors aren't functioning, Lilley said.

The building will have many of its original architectural features, such as high arches. Offices also will be created.

Lilley said construction started in September, and the project remains on schedule. The headquarters could be open by mid-February, he said.

Yerga said the Merrillville Fire Protection Territory is spending about $600,000 for the entire project, and there have been many efforts to keep costs as low as possible.

Prior to construction starting, town firefighters volunteered their time to complete interior demolition at the site to save funds, Yerga sa

The truck arrived in Hay River on Dec. 12 and is fully functional, though Potter says it hasn't seen any real action yet.

"It's a slightly better truck than the first-line pumper we're using right now," said Potter. "We are going to be able to have a first and second attack team on the first arriving pump."

Potter says the new truck, which came at a cost of $438,000, comes equipped with a compressed air foam system to put out fires faster than regular foam systems.

The system also makes hoses lighter for crews to carry around. Additional safety features include seatbelt interlocks, rollover protection and door alarms.

Potter says the new truck replaces a pumper truck that was built in 1982 and while it may have been well-maintained, it no longer met National Fire Prevention Association standards.

Alarms went off in the 1201 Main St. station around 12:45 a.m., waking three firefighters who were on the second floor, according to Fire Capt. William Noke. They escaped and called the main station for help.

He said the fire appeared to start on the fire apparatus floor, heavily damaging one fire truck. Three other vehicles were damaged by smoke but are expected to be cleaned, repaired and returned to service, Noke said.

Firefighters from Sudbury, Maynard, Lincoln, Weston, Bedford and Carlisle provided mutual aid, he said.

While it seems an odd occurrence, Noke said the previous West Concord fire station, formerly on Church Street, was damaged in a similar fashion about 90 years ago. That station burned down while fire companies assisted Lincoln with a brush fire, leading to the construction of the current West Concord station, he said.