Tiverton firefighters are a pretty tough crew, but there's one thing that will definitely make them leave their own fire station - the smell of sewage.
A strong sewage smell forced firefighters at the North Tiverton Fire Station, 85 Main Road, to leave the building temporarily Wednesday night.
"The smell last night was pretty bad," said Lt. Craig Committo of the Tiverton Fire Department. "It smelled like sewer."
A few days ago, Tiverton firefighters began to smell something foul. Then, the swarms of flies arrived. After cutting a hole in the floor, personnel discovered corroded sewer pipes underneath the floor board.
"We have some broken pipes below the floor," Lt. Committo said. "They are our main drainage system from the toilet, from the kitchen sink. They are just so old they finally corroded.
"There were so many flies in station, we traced them back to the underground."
A plumber from Clean Care of Rhode Island is expected to evaluate the damage Thursday at the fire station. The cost to repair the corroded pipes is unknown.
"We don't have an estimate. We have no idea what the cost will be," Lt. Committo said.
The stink is causing interruptions to the day-to-day schedule at the fire station, which also serves as the Tiverton Fire Department headquarters.
Firefighters have moved out of the bunk rooms. The department is unable to use the living quarters. And, all drains and sinks are turned off until the pipes can be fixed, meaning firefighters are unable to use the kitchen to cook.
"We're looking at least a couple days to get this cleaned up, hopefully," Lt. Committo said.
The pipes date back to the building's original construction in 1956. The pipes have never been replaced, according to Lt. Committo.
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