Today Fire Station 83 in Maple Valley is closed, there's a sign on the window. The fire engine and aid car are parked in the dark, the station is empty at 27250 216th Ave SE.
The fire department says it was forced to close the fire station on Tuesday due to lack of funding.
The minimum staffing for Maple Valley Fire used to be 10 firefighters for 55 square miles, to cut cost starting Monday it is now seven firefighters for 55 square miles.
When two firefighters called in sick, and one was in training on Tuesday the department couldn't spend the money on overtime to call in replacement firefighters.
The Maple Valley Fire Department has been struggling financially since 2008. Several levies have failed, they are a million dollars over budget and are operating on reserve funds
The fire department had hoped voters would approve more funding in the Aug. 1 election, but the ballot measure failed. Only 44 percent of the voters approved the measure.
The ballot measure called for a fire benefit charge that would have cost homeowners about $8 - $12 each month, according to Maple Valley Fire Chief Aaron Tyerman. The amount each homeowner would pay was based on the square footage of their home, the amount of property the fire department would fight to protect.
The decision on whether or not Station 83 will be open will be decided on a day by day basis, based on staffing numbers.