Visual History of Durham Ladder Trucks
Presenting a visual apparatus history of Durham Fire Department aerial apparatus and service trucks. See JPG | PDF
Archive of entries posted by Mike Legeros
Raleigh Haz-Mat History
Research notes on the history of the Raleigh Fire Department hazardous materials response program. Pre-History 1980, Nov 19 – New federal regulations took effect to ensure safe management of hazardous waste, including identifying/notifying authorities of all sites that contained such products. 1982, Sep 13 – Fire in Charlotte at a chemical company forced the evacuation …
Wrightsville Beach Line of Duty Death – December 6, 1981
This is a version of a Facebook posting from December 6, 2021. On December 6, 1981, Wrightsville Beach volunteer Lt. Robert M. Wynn, 28, died in the line of duty at the Doak Apartments fire. Also severely injured was volunteer firefighter Jon Dennison, 21, who suffered second and third degree burns. At 1:13 a.m. on …
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Charlotte Fire Alarm System History
This posting is a consolidation and expansion of two Facebook postings and discussion threads from December 2025. See part 1 and part 2. Random notes on the history of fire alarm “street boxes” in Charlotte. Reference Documents View list of box locations before 1975 (PDF) Timeline Before 1900 1887, Nov – First fire alarm system …
Two Alarms at the Raleigh Convention Center
See Legeros photos | Listen to radio traffic Two alarms were struck at the Raleigh Convention Center at 500 S. Salisbury Street on Monday night, December 1, 2025. Dispatched at ~9:29 p.m., the first-arriving units were from nearby Station 1 on South Dawson Street. Ladder 1 was first-arriving, reporting a working fire, and requesting a …
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Two Alarms on Brooks Avenue – November 16, 2025
Two alarms were struck at a house fire in Raleigh on Sunday, November 16, 2025. Dispatched ~2:50 p.m. for 1345 Brooks Avenue. One- and two-story, single-family dwelling with 4,116 square-feet. Built 1948. With gusty wind conditions that day, statewide. Engine 6 first-arriving with smoke showing. Upgraded to working fire. Interior attack to start, with crews …
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Relocating Fire Station 3 – November Update
This is an ongoing blog posting about the project to relocate Raleigh Fire Station 3. Contents Nov 2025 – November Update Feb 2025 – Construction Update Nov 2024 – Design + Public Art Unveiled Nov 2024 – Community Meeting Scheduled Oct 2024 – Site Clearing Started Aug 2024 – Construction Bid Awarded May 2024 – …
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Run Card for Louisville Cargo Jet Crash
This is a blog version of a Facebook posting from November 5, 2025. Pleasure Park Ridge Fire District photos Here’s a run card created by reader Kameron Brown–plus annotations added by Legeros–for the major incident in Louisville, KY, on November 3, 2025, involving an cargo jet crash + commercial building(s) + petroleum recycling facility just …
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MEDIC Starts Service in Charlotte – November 1, 1978
This is a blog version of a Facebook posting from November 6, 2025. Morning reading. How ’bout some EMS history from Mecklenburg County and Charlotte. Forty-seven years ago this week, MEDIC, the Mecklenburg EMS Agency, began operating as the county’s new ambulance service. They were placed in service at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, November 1, …
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Raleigh Street Map From The 1960s
From our archives, incomplete parts of a vintage Raleigh street map, circa 1960s. Download larger version (PDF, 61MB)