City of Meridian officials don’t have a timeline of how long Fire Station #9 will be closed or when it will reopen.

The station was closed on Tuesday so authorities could determine the extent of possible mold contamination, according to the city. Nine firefighters working at the station, located at 245 Briarwood Road West, were temporarily relocated to Fire Station #7, at 910 North Hills Street.

MFD Fire Chief Ricky Leister said he was made aware of the problem three weeks ago after roaches were found in the building. 

MFD Deputy Chief Jason Collier said Thursday he was waiting for professionals to inspect the building, which opened in 2014. Collier didn’t have an estimate of when the building would be inspected or how long it would be closed. 

George Thomas, who represents Ward 1 on the Meridian City Council, expressed disappointment that the station had to be temporarily closed.

“You wouldn’t expect it with a new building,” Thomas said.

Thomas said he’s concerned about how long the station could be closed, because response times could be slower. He also expressed concerns about how much money it could cost to fix the problem. 

Briarwood resident Jackie White wanted to know why the issue wasn’t caught sooner, saying he was worried about the health of the firefighters who work at the station.

“As a person, I would be upset,” said White, who wondered who is monitoring the station for any problems. 

“It doesn’t make sense,” he said. “Who is doing the inspections?”