Wilmington Explosion and Fire – August 19, 2025

Screen grabs from Ian Cross footage via WECT. Last updated: August 29, 2025  Introduction On Tuesday, August 19, 2025, in Wilmington, NC, an impaired drive struck and damaged a gas meter and high-pressure line beside a commercial building that was being renovated for veterinary hospital. The vehicle left the scene. The hospital was planning to …

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Apparatus Accidents with Civilian Fatalities

Last updated August 17, 2025. This is an updated blog version of a Facebook posting from 2009. Research notes on civilian fatalities in fire apparatus accidents in North Carolina.    Contents 2025 – Durham – Quint 19 / motorcycle, 1 fatality 2023 – Charlotte – Ladder 24 / motorcycle, 1 fatality 2019 – Kannapolis – …

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Wilmington Natural Gas Explosion and Fire – August 5, 1987

Looking back at the natural gas explosion and flash fire in downtown Wilmington August 5, 1987.  Timeline On August 5, 1987, Welco Construction and Utilities Company, based in Florence, SC, was excavating in the 4600 block of Market Street. They were installing sanitary sewer lines in preparation for a project to widen Market Street. The …

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Navy Plane Crashes into Building at Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, July 31, 1974

For our Friday history, let’s head over to Pasquotank County and Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City on July 31, 1974, when Navy radar plane crashed into a building, killing the pilot and three civilian workers inside. Two others aboard the plane survived with injuries, along with 12 others, including several firefighters. On that Wednesday …

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