BERNE — The Berne firehouse suffered a fire but the department is “fully functional” according to spokeswoman Mary Alice Molgard.

Molgard spoke to The Enterprise from her car on Thursday afternoon as she was returning from a call to the East Berne firehouse, for an odor problem.

“We appreciate all of the support,” said Molgard. “Everyone is asking if they can help.”

The Feb. 21 fire was caused when an air compressor in the apparatus bay malfunctioned.

“It overheated; it didn’t shut off,” said Molgard.

She explained that a Plymovent system is hooked up to each firetruck “to capture the exhaust and eject it out through a pipe.” The malfunctioning air compressor was part of that smoke-ejection system.

The firehouse suffered “a lot of smoke and soot damage and some structural damage,” said Molgard.

“We’re working with our insurance company to get it evaluated and inspected,” said Molgard, adding, “We have very good insurance.”

There were four trucks and a trailer in the bay at the time of the fire. They were all quickly pulled out and undamaged, she said.

“We were fully operational within just a few minutes,” said Molgard.

The trucks were used to fight the firehouse fire, manned by the Berne volunteers.

They were called to the scene through a firehouse security system that automatically calls Albany County dispatch, Molgard said.

One Berne firetruck remains in the Berne firehouse. “There’s no danger to it,” said Molgard.

The other three Berne firetrucks are “strategically placed around town,” close to drivers who live or work nearby, said Molgard. Those trucks will stay there “until we have the structural issues repaired,” she said.

Also, Westerlo is “on standby for automatic dispatch for any structure fires,” Molgard said.

This week, she said, various inspectors and appraisers were at the Berne firehouse. At this point, she said, there is no timeline for when all four trucks will be back in the station.

Molgard stressed, “We’re responding as normal.”

On Feb. 23, volunteers from the Berne and East Berne companies were joined by volunteers from Onesquethaw, Westerlo, and Huntersland to clean up and decontaminate gear, said Molgard.

About 30 volunteers showed up. “After they finished, we fed them,” she said.

The Berne auxiliary posted on Facebook that night, just after 10 p.m., “This evening we united as one to tackle the aftermath of the fire at our firehouse, successfully clearing all debris …. The past few days have presented significant challenges, but the community’s response has been heartening.”