COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Coeur d'Alene Police are assessing the extent of damages following a Sunday morning fire at one of their buildings near the police campus.
According to the Coeur d'Alene Police Department, smoke was first spotted coming from the building around 5 a.m. by on-duty officers who notified the fire department.
According to the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department, approximately 30 firefighters worked to extinguish the fire.
Coeur d'Alene Police officials said the building housed the agency's IT department, along with animal control & code enforcement, and much of their specialty equipment, including a SWAT vehicle, their incident command trailer and riot gear. However, police say they did not store any ammunition inside the building.
Rubble and debris are all that remain of Sergeant Jared Reneau's office, which was on the ground floor of the building. Sgt. Reneau said the average person will likely see a minimal impact on their safety, but officers will feel the loss in their day-to-day operations, especially for the downtown and traffic divisions. The fire burned all of the department's motorcycles and bikes, including their brand-new e-bikes.
Coeur d'Alene Police and Fire are still assessing the damages. Reneau estimates the cost for repairs will "easily be in the millions."
The fire comes at a tricky time for Coeur d'Alene Police. Reneau said the department outgrew their main building years ago. Now with this loss, they'll have to scramble to find space for everyone.
"We'll be cramped, but we'll make it work until we can rebuild and recover from this," Reneau said.
The Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office is leading the investigation as police work to determine the value of the loss from this fire. Police expect it'll be at least a week before the investigation finishes.