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Pasco fire station reopens after hundreds of bats forced crews out

 
Fire crews returned to Station 39 in Hudson on June 21, 2017, nearly twoo weeks after the building was closed due to a rat infestation. [Times files]
Fire crews returned to Station 39 in Hudson on June 21, 2017, nearly twoo weeks after the building was closed due to a rat infestation. [Times files]
Published June 22, 2017

Fire crews have returned to a Hudson fire station nearly two weeks after they were forced out by possibly thousands of bats.

Fire Station 39, located at 11630 County Line Road, reopened Wednesday after a colony of bats was removed from the building, according to Pasco County officials.

This wasn't the station's first run-in with bats, Pasco Fire Rescue Deputy Chief of Administration Andrew Fossa said.

Crews reported seeing the animals near the station for years, and as time went on, spotted more of them more often.

Eventually, firefighters said the bats were everywhere: in the sleeping quarters, the weight room — even the bathroom.

Pre-existing openings in the building have been sealed to prevent their return, officials said. The station also was cleaned and disinfected, and ceiling tiles replaced after the critters caused an unsanitary work environment.