One of Bonita Springs' fire stations is returning more than two months after Hurricane Milton destroyed it, officials say.
Nicole Hornberger, spokesperson for Bonita Springs Fire, announced Thursday afternoon in a news release that just more than two months after Hurricane Milton devastated the area again, including the Bonita Springs Fire Station 27, 26105 Hickory Blvd., firefighters have returned to the hub.
After months of reconstruction, the fire station is now fully operational, and firefighters are ready to serve the community once more, Hornberger wrote.
Hornberger said firefighters have moved back in, bringing along beds, tables, kitchen supplies, and the recliners that make the station feel like home during their 24-hour shifts. For the first time since late September, Bonita Springs firefighters are reporting for duty at Fire Station 27.
On Thursday morning, firefighters parked their fire engine under the shade of the station's iconic chickee hut; stocked the station and their apparatus with medications and equipment; and parked their Marine Rescue Unit on the boat lift, ready to respond quickly to any local water emergency, Hornberger announced.
Murder suspect dead: LCSO: Barricaded man suspected of Lehigh Acres homicide dies from self-inflicted gunshot
During the reconstruction, Hornberger said, firefighter-paramedics responded to Hickory Island emergencies from the next closest station at 28055 Mango Drive.
The fire stations are 3.9 miles apart, and the commute between both takes roughly 9 minutes.
Hornberger said the temporary arrangement resulted in longer response times for incidents on Hickory Boulevard and the surrounding waters.
When Hurricane Ian damaged the fire station on Sept. 28, 2022, it took about nine months for it to reopen.
Hornberger explained that Fire Station 27, located next to Sea Isles and Bonita Resort and Club, is a storefront unit in the Hickory Island Center Plaza and houses a team of three firefighter-paramedics or firefighter-EMTs, who are trained to respond to fire, medical, special ops, and water-rescue emergencies 24/7.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at [email protected] or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Bluesky @tomasfrodriguez.