Cart before the horse, fire before the fire

You don't hear about this sort of thing happening very often, and when it does happen, you're never too certain whether to laugh or just feel uncomfortable. The Fire Department heads out to put out a fire, and while they're gone the station house goes up in flames.

A fire call during a thunderstorm probably helped to save the De Queen, Ark., fire station Saturday afternoon.

The De Queen Fire Department received a call at 2:30 p.m. Saturday about a burning telephone pole or an electrical fire on Ballard Street.

A firefighter arrived at the station and when he opened the doors, smoke came out of the building, said De Queen Fire Marshal Dennis Pruitt.

"One of the firemen (Bryan Hodges) called me and said the place was full of smoke. I thought he was joshing me. He said, 'we've got a fire at the fire station,'" said Pruit

Despite the irony of the situation, it looks like quick thinking kept this from turning into a real mess.