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.