Community group closes escrow on Sunset fire station

The Sunset Beach Community Assn. now officially owns the fire station that once housed the community’s volunteer fire crew, President Mike Van Voorhis said.

The association closed escrow Thursday on the former station, which the Orange County Fire Authority put up for sale last fall after dissolving the volunteer fire crews in Sunset Beach and elsewhere.

“I know there was great anticipation for when it was official, and it happened this afternoon,” Van Voorhis said.

Van Voorhis, a onetime crew member, said his group will now submit plans to the county and seek building permits to renovate the facility. Among the association’s plans are to gut the building’s interior and add new paint, electrical wiring, sprinklers, heating and more.

The station will remain open during Sunset Beach’s annual art festival but close for renovations after Mother’s Day, Van Voorhis said.

— Michael Miller