LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — After a high-end EF3 tornado ripped through parts of Central Arkansas in March, all that's left of Little Rock Fire Station 9 is rubble. The nearly four-decade-old building is currently in the process of being torn down, to make room for a new home for the firefighters of the Little Rock Fire Department.
It's a bittersweet moment for those in the department.
"We've had a lot of people here, we've done a lot of work here, now we're having to basically demolish it and start over," LRFD Assistant Fire Chief Phillip Durham said. "It's a little bit surreal in the way that we're having to do this, because of the tornado damage that this building incurred."
Decades of memories were wiped out in minutes after the tornado. Since that storm, much has happened in the neighborhood surrounding the station.
Buildings and homes that were damaged beyond repair are now nothing more than concrete slabs. With the old fire station demolished and the cleanup of rubble happening, it's a chance for the department to create something new and different.
"We do want to take our time and get it right because this is a building that could potentially be here for another 50 years or more," Durham explained.
He also explained how the crews that were stationed here have had some input on what they'd like to see in the new space, but as of right now, no concrete designs or plans are in place.
They do know, however, roughly how long this could take to rebuild.
"Our best estimate is that once we have a contract in place and the design in place from groundbreaking, we're guessing about two years," he added.
In the meantime, he said crews from other stations are still responding to the area and providing coverage.
However, it has been bittersweet for Durham to see the rubble that's left of the station. He and the rest of the department are looking forward to the future of the space.
"Those are the things people are going to miss about the building," Durham said, as he spoke about the memories left in the building. "The goal is to recreate as much of that as we can in the new building."
He also said there are plans in the works for a temporary fire station nearby so crews can continue to respond to emergencies.