AURORA | Aurora reopened Fire Station 9 in central Aurora after demolishing and rebuilding the aging firehouse on shifting soil that city officials said made renovation impractical.
The new two-story, 12,000-square-foot station at 17200 E. Mexico Ave. is back in service less than a year after the original structure was torn down, the department announced.
The $9.3 million project was funded primarily through federal American Rescue Plan Act money.
The original Station 9, completed in 1979, was demolished last March, after years of structural problems linked to unstable soil beneath the building. City officials previously said the station sat atop expansive fill material that swelled and shrank with moisture, causing cracks, gaps between walls and floors, and other damage that worsened over time.
Contractors inspecting structural problems at the station discovered the building was sitting on about 7 feet of “fill” material, including sand and clay, as well as sandy soil full of clay and silt that extended as far down as 30 feet below the surface, officials said previously.
Engine 9 is pictured in the apparatus bay of Aurora Fire Rescue’s Station 9 on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. The agency says the engine and the firefighters based at the station will be temporarily relocated to another nearby station as the station is demolished and rebuilt. (Max Levy / Sentinel Colorado) 
The exterior of Aurora Fire Rescue’s Station 9 is pictured looking south from Mexico Avenue on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. The station is scheduled to be demolished and rebuilt, with work slated to begin later this year. (Max Levy / Sentinel Colorado) 
Aurora Fire Rescue fire medic Daniel Glass gestures toward a crack in the wall of Fire Station 9’s apparatus bay on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. The city plans to rebuild and expand the station, which has sustained structural damage due to shifting soil beneath the building’s foundation. (Max Levy / Sentinel Colorado) 
Aurora Fire Rescue fire medic Daniel Glass gives a tour of the kitchen at Fire Station 9 on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. The city plans to rebuild and expand the station, which would include a larger, more modern kitchen for its complement of firefighters. (Max Levy / Sentinel Colorado)
Inspectors said the soft soils were likely deposited when nearby homes were being built. The ground underneath the fire station were composed of “expansive” or “shifting” soil, which tends to swell when wet and shrink when dry, damaging structures that aren’t built to withstand the stress.
A 2016 facilities assessment concluded the building no longer met the needs of the department or its firefighters. While the station remained safe to occupy, city staff determined that tearing it down and rebuilding on the same site was more cost-effective than renovating the deteriorating structure.
Less than a year after the original firehouse was demolished and replaced by new construction, Aurora Fire Rescue today announced that Fire Station 9 at 17200 E. Mexico Ave. is back in service PHOTO VIA AURORA FIRE RESCUE 
Less than a year after the original firehouse was demolished and replaced by new construction, Aurora Fire Rescue today announced that Fire Station 9 at 17200 E. Mexico Ave. is back in service PHOTO VIA AURORA FIRE RESCUE
Before demolition, Station 9 operated as a single-company house with one engine and a four-person crew serving Aurora’s Ward III community. The building was originally designed with an open bunk room and later retrofitted with individual sleeping areas, though space constraints prevented the addition of doors.
The new station includes 11 dorm rooms, eight bathrooms, a fitness room, kitchen, dining areas, a day room, offices and a double-length, three-bay apparatus bay. It was designed to allow for future expansion, including the possibility of adding a second fire company.
During construction, Engine 9’s crew was temporarily housed at nearby Station 8 while continuing to serve the same coverage area. The crew has since returned to the rebuilt station.
A public ribbon-cutting and grand opening is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 7. The event will include a dedication ceremony, station tours and opportunities for residents to meet firefighters and see fire engines up close.