Nicholson Volunteer Fire Department surveys damage after station engulfed in flames

NICHOLSON, Miss. (WLOX) - New details are now emerging in an overnight fire that blazed through the Nicholson Volunteer Fire Department and caused extensive damage.

Blue lights and fire lit the Monday night sky around 11 o’clock.

A viewer captured video of the blaze and shared it with WLOX. As the driver approached the scene, flames were seen shooting out of a building in Pearl River County.

Nicholson Volunteer Firefighters had no trouble finding the address. It was their own firehouse engulfed. Five neighboring agencies rushed in for back up.

By Tuesday morning, the extent of the fire’s fury was evident. Two fire trucks and a brush truck sat outside the singed fire station. The three vehicles sustained so much damage, they are now unusable. According to a county press release, several other pieces of key firefighting equipment were also destroyed.

Bobby Robbins, former Nicholson Fire Chief of more than 40 years, told WLOX about $1 million in damages is left behind, and it could take about 90-100 days to have the equipment replaced.

As bad as the equipment and the firehouse garage look, rescue teams know they got lucky. No one was injured, and a next-door neighbor told WLOX the building appeared to be empty.

An investigation is now underway. Authorities must determine how the fire started as well as how to provide immediate protection in Nicholson without the fire trucks, their equipment and without the Jackson Landing Road firehouse.

Robbins said the trucks were donated by Deep South, a company the team is now considering renting from. The Pearl River County Fire Marshal added they are working with other agencies in the meantime to borrow equipment.

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