Even before the discovery of asbestos forced the evacuation of emergency workers from Fire Station 87 in downtown North Bend this month, city officials were pushing to have the undersized and structurally unsound building replaced.

Rescuers were relocated to other sites until an expected March 3 return date while workers abated the risk of asbestos contamination, but the presence of that substance isn’t the building’s only problem. Firefighters said they have had to cope with rat infestations.

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