Bat infestation forces closure of fire station south of Reno
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Fire officials have temporarily closed a small fire station between Reno and Carson City due to a bat infestation.
The Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District announced the temporary closure Tuesday of Fire Station 30 on Old Highway 395 in the Washoe Valley next to the historic Bowers Mansion.
Fire spokesman Adam Mayberry says bats have been flying in the living quarters and dead ones have been found in the apparatus bay where an ambulance is parked.
The fire station dates to the 1950s. The district leases it from the state. Officials thought they had solved a similar problem with bats in 2015 but they’ve since returned, creating new health and safety concerns..
Mayberry says that in addition to rabies, bats can transmit other viruses to humans, and their feces can transmit viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections.
During the closure, the ambulance based at Station 30, along with two fire personnel will be relocated to another station in Washoe Valley on Eastlake Boulevard. A total of five crew members will be housed there temporarily.
Mayberry says the district also will be increasing its coordination with the Carson City Fire Department at the south end of Washoe Valley during the closure.
