Research notes on the May 1951 apparatus accident in Morehead City, NC, that killed one firefighter and injured two others, when a recently delivered pumper overturned while returning from pump testing. Carteret County News-Times – Friday, May 4, 1951 Photo caption: At the upper left, the Morehead City fire truck rests on its left side. …
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Found this this week from New Hanover County. Wrightsboro Fire Chief Ed Wright died in the line of duty on July 9, 1960. He suffered a cardiac event while directing operations at a fire in the Rock Hill community. Chief Wright, 58, was found slumped by a fire truck. He was pronounced dead on arrival …
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Presenting a new history of New Hanover County International Airport’s fire department. See also this posting about the airport’s fire apparatus. Last updated September 26, 2026. 1920s to 1949 1927 – First landing at airport. 1928, May 30 – Airfield named Bluethenthal Field in memory of Arthur Bluethenthal, first person from Wilmington and the second from …
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This is a blog version of a Facebook posting from December 2019. Wilmington, 1945. What are we seeing here? Mark Stiller posted this picture to the group N.C. Old Photos and Things of Interest. [1] Almost looks like a maintenance truck, notably with the building labeled “Engineering Dept. Housing Authority.” But it’s a fire engine. …
On September 19, 2026, an apparatus accident in Granville County killed three civilians, when an SUV rear-ended a pumper at an accident scene on Interstate 85 near Oxford, NC. What’s the historical perspective on multi-fatality emergency vehicle accidents in North Carolina? Here’s take one of results: Summary Date Department / Vehicle County Fatalities Responders Civilians …
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Looking back at the three-day hostage situation that unfolded at Seaboard Station in downtown Raleigh starting on Friday, October 8, 1982. These pics originated from News and Observer and Raleigh Times photographers (and likely others) and were transmitted far and wide, via AP and UPI. Question for older timers, how far/close was the yellow tape …
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This is a blog version of a Facebook posting from September 13, 2026. Looking back at the May 1994 derailment in Selma that killed a crew member and injured 121 people. Found a couple photos from newspaper coverage. Looking for others. On May 16, 1994, at 4:36 a.m., Amtrak Train 87 and CSX freight train …
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This is a blog version of a Facebook posting from September 14, 2026. Looking back at the May 11, 1987, derailment and haz-mat incident south of Elm City in Wilson County. At about 10:30 a.m., at least 27 cars of a CSX freight train derailed. Many were overturned and started leaking sulfuric acid. Some 2,800 …
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See related postings about fireworks incidents and disasters in this series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Looking back at the outside fire that ignited fireworks stored on a farm in Lenoir County on June 10, 2022. The resulting explosion killed a farmer and injured three firefighters. This incident occurred at 4871 Bulltown …
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In Duplin County in March 1988, a refrigerated produce warehouse operated by Southern Produce Distributors was destroyed by fire. The building was located on Highway 403, just west of Faison. The building measured approximately 275 feet long, 300 feet wide, and 30 feet high—about 82,500 square feet. A passing motorist discovered the fire at approximately …
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