Long Beach fire crews from Fire Station 9 moved to a new temporary location Thursday after their former station was closed last year due to mold.

The former Boeing Fitness Center at 2019 E. Wardlow Road will house Engine 9 and Rescue 9, about 2 miles away from the previous station.

The temporary relocation of the crews is expected to improve response times to emergencies by 1.5 minutes for Engine 9 and 2.5 minutes for Rescue 9 in the neighborhoods of the California Heights, Los Cerritos and Bixby Knolls, city officials stated in a press release.

The relocation is temporary while a new permanent station is found. The city is still working to secure a permanent Station 9 and is currently in escrow for the potential purchase of a property.

Since June last year, crews from Fire Station 9 were working out of Fire Station 16, located at 2890 E. Wardlow Road, and Fire Station 13, at 2475 Adriatic Ave.

“We are grateful to the team from Fire, Economic Development and Public Works Departments for the time and energy they committed to searching for the right property, developing a relationship with the property owners and making improvements to the building to make it suitable for our firefighters to operate out of,” Fire Chief Xavier Espino said in a statement. “This effort has culminated in a new home for Engine 9 and Rescue 9 that will benefit the services for the residents in Station 9’s service area.”