Cold War History – Ground Observer Corps

Added Information – 2025 On April 16, 1956, Raleigh City Council approved a request from Civil Defense authorities to use the fifth floor of the Raleigh Fire Department drill tower as a temporary ground observer station. See excerpt below, as well as council’s rejection of establishing an observatory post in the Jaycee Park. By December …

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Renovations of Raleigh Fire Station 7

Renovations are poised to start at Raleigh Fire Station 7 at 2100 Glascock Street. The 1959 engine house will be upgraded with improvements including new bathrooms and showers, new windows and flooring, LED lighting, and bifold bay doors. During the estimated four-month project, Squad 7 will move to Fire Station 11 at 2925 Glenridge Road. …

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Tarrytown Mall Fire – August 12, 1967

Bucket trucks working. Let’s look back at the Tarrytown Mall fire in Rocky Mount on August 12, 1967. Was the first enclosed mall in eastern North Carolina, the third enclosed mall in the state, and the 26th enclosed mall in the United States. (The first was Southdale in Edina, MN, a suburb of Minneapolis, and …

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Eden Fire History – Plus Leaksville, Spray, and Draper

This is a blog version of a Facebook posting from March 27, 2021.  Who wants some Eden and Tri-Cities fire history? Found these pics, maps excerpts, and news articles from various sources. Three departments merged in 1967 to create Eden FD: Leaksville FD Jan 1915 – No fire department. [Sanborn]  Dec 1921 – Two volunteer …

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Two Alarms on English Oaks Drive

Listen to radio traffic. Two alarms were struck on English Oaks Drive on Tuesday night, March 11, 2025. Dispatched 10:40 p.m. for 6560 English Oaks Drive. Four-unit, two-story townhouse building with 5,600-ish square-feet. Built 1984, from tax records. First alarm with E4 E16 E15 E18 L4 L16 B5 B4 R16 ISO14. Address corrected to 6535 …

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R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Building 256 – August 27, 1998

On August 27, 1998, a former tobacco factory complex in downtown Winston-Salem burned in a major fire that brought some 200 firefighters and most of the city fire department to the scene. It was battled for nearly seven hours, destroyed three large buildings, and closed a five-block area to traffic. Here are research notes on …

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Durham Public Safety Program – 1970 to 1985

Contents Introduction Short Version Long Version Sources Introduction Presenting a timeline of the Durham Public Safety Officer program, which combined fire and police duties from 1970 to 1986. Collected from dozens of news articles during that time period. See below for source materials, including a larger collection of 1,300+ newspaper articles about DFD going back …

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Relocating Fire Station 1 – Update – February 2025

This is an ongoing blog posting about relocating Raleigh Fire Station 1. See also the  official project site.  Contents Feb 2025 – Documents and Permits Dec 2024 – Professional Services Awarded Aug 2024 – Design Services Awarded Feb 2024 – Site Selected, Project Restarted May 2020 – Project on Hold Nov 2019 – Conceptual Rendering …

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History of the Second Engine at Durham Station 2

Let’s look at the history of a second engine at Durham Station 2. In 1928, was surveyed by the National Board of Fire Underwriters. Among the findings was that the city needed more fire stations. It noted that while fire companies were closed grouped for protection of the main mercantile and manufacturing districts, additional engine …

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Block of Buildings Burns in Downtown Durham, July 1944

Morning history. Let’s take a deep dive into a major fire in the Bull City back in the city. See also comments for additional notes. On Saturday night, July 8, 1944, one of the largest fires in downtown Durham’s history destroyed an entire block of buildings along “Tobacco Row.” The first call was received at …

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