HEART BUTTE, Mont. - The Heart Butte Fire Department was broken into and the fire hall, equipment and engines sustained damage, Blackfeet Fire Rescue announced in a social media post. The damage was first discovered on Saturday when a firefighter arrived to find the rear door of the fire hall kicked in.
"What we found inside was devastating," Blackfeet Fire Rescue said.
The department's fire engines will be out of service until it's determined what repairs are needed and how to secure the funds to complete those repairs. Blackfeet Fire Rescue said that due to the ongoing wildfire season, the break-in "could not have happened at a worse time."
Heart Butte Fire Department receives just $10,000 a year from the Blackfeet Tribe to stay operational, according to Blackfeet Fire Rescue, a budget that primarily keeps the fire hall "functioning."
"This incident has pushed us so far backward," Blackfeet Fire Rescue said. "It is difficult to put into words what this feels like for the firefighters who have dedicated so much of themselves to this department. Every firefighter gives more than just their time. We give our evenings, our weekends, our families' time, our personal lives, and, for many of us, time away from our paying jobs. We leave work, lose wages, miss family events, and put ourselves in harm's way because we believe in serving our communities."
Blackfeet Fire Rescue is urging anyone in the community with information on what occurred or saw suspicious behavior near the fire hall to "come forward."
"Our community deserves better," the department wrote.