CONNEAUT, Ohio – The unexpected closing of a nearby convenience store is hurting the town of Conneaut's fire department.

The convenience store, which abruptly closed last week, was the primary source of fuel for the city's fire and emergency medical vehicles. Fire trucks and ambulances that relied on the convenience store a few hundred yards away for diesel fuel now must travel six miles to find a vendor.

"It's a horrible inconvenience," said Vincent Gildone, Fire Station 3 battalion chief, to the Ashtabula Star-Beacon. "We've been spoiled by being able to go right down the street."

The fire station spends approximately $500 a month to fuel its vehicles, said Gildone. Conneaut Fire Chief Bim Orrenmaa told the newspaper that the loss of the convenience store is particularly hard on the department's volunteers.

"We're asking volunteers to journey all over town to get fuel, and that's not fair," he said. "They give up more than an hour for an ambulance call, and then spend another hour to get gas."

Relief may come in a new fueling facility planned for construction at the Conneaut Area City Schools district bus garage, a short distance from Station 3. The city and school district, partners on the project, will share the fuel. The facility could be open before the start of the new school year, officials said.