A fire station in Bangor, California may be torn down and replaced costing the county some $1.6 million estimated to bring it back to working order. Included in the original budget proposal was a request to hire an exorcist to remove the unwanted ghosts in the fire station that resulted in lost sleep and general unease in the area. Is hiring an exorcist, which could cost the city very little truly such an outrageous proposal? Or is the $1.6 million proposed more than enough to sort out the ghost problem?
Bangor’s fire station is the current haunt of an unusual spirit that takes the form of an invisible figure that more closely resembles a poltergeist than an apparition. Darting around corridors it can sometimes be seen as a shadow of unidentifiable shape, but more often it will pull out the components of vehicle engines, open and close doors, and on at least one occasion pin those sleeping in the fire station down and terrify them. In an interview with local news station the Chico Enterprise Record picked up from Phantoms and Monsters one of the firefighters shared an experience he had where the mysterious entity pinned him as a gust of wind blew over his face for what felt like close to half a minute before suddenly vanishing. The firefighter, whose courage is usually bolstered enough to fight fires raging all around him was clearly troubled by the experience.
Since so many of those in the fire station believe in the mysterious entity following them around in the station, there is a chance it is interrupting sleep and causing anxiety for fire officials who often have to spend up to three days at a time in the station. And since these fire officials are expected to act on a moment’s notice, every wink of sleep they can snatch in their off time is important for their focus. And so whether or not a ghost truly is haunting the fire station, is it wise to scoff at a proposal for an exorcist to pay a visit?
Since the fire station is old and falling into disrepair, it is scheduled to be torn down and replaced with a newer building in 2011. The building is supposed to be built on the same ground as the previous one, so is it possible whatever disturbance currently haunts the firefighters in Bangor California will return when the new building is erected? And if the ghost continues its usual pranks and terrorizes resting firemen during critical moments when they are preparing to save lives, will they need an exorcist or psychic to help the spirits rest in peace so they too can rest peacefully?
Fire stations have a long history of being haunted, but what exactly draws ghosts to them is not always so easy to guess. Since the stations are often built at strategic locations relative to the town they are protecting, the locations the buildings stand on may have been equally strategic in earlier years, meaning many people may have been around and subsequently died of natural or other causes. Still, as record keeping is difficult as centuries roll on, it’s not always possible to pinpoint the source of this paranormal dissent.