Firefighters quickly get graffiti under control

The Roanoke Times


A team of firefighters cleaned orange graffiti from the front of Fire Station No. 1 in downtown Roanoke on Tuesday morning, Advertisement

after a vandal scribbled "The Revolution" and what witnesses described as "Dr. Recock" above the second floor of the historical landmark.

With the help of a ladder truck, a pressure washer and an aerosol cleaner, the station's own officers had removed the paint by 9:30 a.m. Tiffany Bradbury, a spokeswoman for Roanoke Fire-EMS, said police were investigating the matter but had not made an arrest.

"We wanted to get it off real quick because we take a lot of pride in this house," Capt. C.W. Brown said.

A passer-by had alerted firefighters to the graffiti about 7:30 a.m., Brown said. Officers surveyed the vandal's work and quickly began their cleanup effort.

The facade and bell tower of the 99-year-old fire station were restored in 2003.

"I don't understand how they did it," Joe Stinnett of Roanoke said as he watched from the sidewalk. "The vampire club, I bet you. They done tagged everywhere else."

Anyone who has information about this crime is asked to call the Roanoke Police Department at 853-5959 or the anonymous Crime Line at 344-8500.

-Pete Dybdahl