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Car slams into Charlotte volunteer fire department; causes $250K in damage

By Blaine Tolison, wsoctv.com
By Blaine Tolison, wsoctv.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A car slammed into a northwest Charlotte volunteer fire station overnight, causing thousands of dollars in damage and sending two people to the hospital.

[PHOTOS: Car slams into volunteer fire department]

The wreck happened just before midnight at the Cooks Community VFD on Mount Holly-Huntersville Road.

Police told Channel 9 that five people were in the car when it crashed into the fire station.

The mother of one of the people in the car told Channel 9 that the group was headed to a party at the time of the wreck.

The driver, Zaire Jasper, told investigators he had pulled off the right side of the road in order to allow another car to pass when he overcorrected, lost control and crashed into the building.

Jasper and a passenger were taken to the hospital but will be OK, police said.

The car was so far into the building that crews had to build a scaffold so they could safely remove the vehicle.

Gregg Jordan was one of the two firefighters inside the fire station when the car slammed into the building.
"You could tell that a vehicle struck the building and that door actually opened up and some debris came in at us," Jordan said.
Jordan and his colleague just came back from a call and were on the other side of the station.
"I feel sure that we would have been severely injured, if not, killed. So, thank God that it struck that side of the building," Jordan said.

(Click PLAY to watch an interview with a firefighter that was inside the station)

Fire Chief Mike Stanford said his firefighters are OK, but the crash damaged two of their trucks.

"The brush truck is out of service and, probably, we'll have to get it checked by the service department," Stanford said.

The VFD's sign in front reads, “Ready to Roll."

"We want to get back and serve the public and do what we were called to do," Stanford said.

He also said they are insured and the department will hire a general contractor to repair the damage.

The VFD is less than a mile from Charlotte Fire Station 33.

Jasper was cited for careless and reckless driving.

Officials estimate the damage to the building to be about $250,000.

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