Burke County School Explosion – March 17, 1987

Looking back at the explosion and fire that destroyed Salem Junior High School in Burke County, NC, in March 1987. Tuesday night, March 17, 1987. Address was 1311 Salem Road, south of Morganton. Three-story brick building with 25,000+ square-feet. It was located on a campus that also included two elementary school facilities, a gymnasium, and …

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Broyhill Furniture Factory Fire – January 14, 1976

Fifty years ago this month, the Broyhill furniture factory in Marion, NC, burned on January 14, 1976. Here are some notes about the incident.  – Wednesday morning. – January 14, 1976. – 11:05 a.m. – Otis L. Broyhill furniture plant on West Henderson Street. [AC, 1/15/76] – Three-story building housed finishing room, where fire stated. …

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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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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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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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Deadliest Mass Shootings in North Carolina History

Research notes on the deadliest mass shootings in North Carolina history, expanded from this Facebook posting on September 28, 2025. These notes are still undergoing review and revisions.  Supplement to Mike Legeros deadliest disaster database.  Abbreviations: SP (Single Perpetrator) MP (Multiple Perpetrators) Type Incident Date / Location Killed Wounded Total Casualties Source SP Carthage Nursing …

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Winston-Salem Armory Explosion – September 26, 1969

View clippings and other documents Introduction On Saturday, September 26, 1969, a methane explosion and flash fire at the National Guard Armory on Silas Creek Parkway in Winston-Salem injured 25 members of the North Carolina National Guard. Seven of the most seriously injured were flown to an Army burn center in Texas. Three later died. …

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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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