Butler City Lt Don Crawford shows a old MSA Chemox Oxygen Breathing Apparatus at the Butler Fire Station on Friday March 1,2019.

It started out as a cleanup project around the Butler fire station. But it turned into a historic preservation project.

Fire Chief Christopher Switala, who was hired last year, recently ordered firefighters to clean up the cluttered storage area.

The trove of documents, photographs and artifacts they discovered provide a glimpse into the history of fire service in Butler that will be preserved for the future.

Some of the larger pieces, such as a spotlight from an open-cab ladder truck used in the 1950s and 1960s, will be displayed with other department artifacts in the station.

This is an excerpt — pick up Wednesday's Butler Eagle or subscribe online to learn more about what the fire department found in the storage area.