Archive of posts filed under the Incidents category.

Three Asheville Firefighters Killed in Bostian Bridge Train Wreck, 1891

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This posted was updated in March 2023 with an important correction, about the correct names of the three firefighters killed. It’s also been expanded with new narratives about the incident and its aftermath, and converted to a linked PDF document.  On August 27, 1891, three Asheville firemen were killed and three others were injured when …

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Raleigh Fire Department History – Charts and Data

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Updated on February 24, 2023, with additional charts showing fire station growth. Updated on January 11, 2023, with additional charts: extra-alarm fires and recruit graduating class sizes.  Random data play about the Raleigh Fire Department. These charts originally appeared as postings on Legeros Fire Line on Facebook. They were created using Excel. Growth Trends – Number …

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Waynesville Fire Chief Lawrence Kerley Killed in Explosion – July 14, 1942

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This is a blog version of a Facebook posting from August 14, 2020. Tale of a tragedy. Early in the morning of Tuesday, July 14, 1942, a pair of explosion at a bulk fuel storage facility in Waynesville, NC, killed six people, and also fatally injured Fire Chief Lawrence Kerley. Below are a pair of …

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Raleigh Firefighter Loses Leg, 1958

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This is an expanded version of a blog archives posting (PDF) from September 4, 2012. The history of the Raleigh Fire Department includes instances of members who were permanently disabled as a result of injuries on duty. Here’s one of those stories.   RFD yearbook portrait, 1984 On February 18, 1958, Raleigh firefighter Claude W. Johnson …

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Two Alarms on Prince George Lane

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See photos by Mike Legeros | Listen to radio traffic Two alarms (with a third for mayday, then cancelled) were struck in Raleigh on Sunday morning, February 5, 2023. Was the fourth working fire in eight hours. Dispatched 6:12 a.m. for Old Lead Mine Road and Mere Oak Drive. Reported house fire, plus report of …

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Two Alarms on Walden Pond Drive

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See photos by Mike Legeros | Listen to radio traffic Mike Legeros photos Two alarms were struck overnight in north Raleigh on Walden Pond Drive. It was the third of four working fires in the city in eight hours, between Saturday night, February 4, and Sunday morning, February 5, and the first of two extra-alarm …

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Apparatus Accidents with Civilian Fatalities

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This is an updated blog version of a Facebook posting from 2009. What’s the historical perspective of civilian fatalities in fire apparatus accidents across our state? Here’s that secret history.  Contents 2023 – Charlotte 2019 – Kannapolis 2011 – Kernersville 2005 – Statesville 1997 – Charlotte 1985 – Greensboro 1982 – Charlotte 1980 – Steele …

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Two Alarms on Logger Court

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See more photos by Mike Legeros. Two alarms were struck on Friday night, January 21, 2023, at 1100 Logger Court in north Raleigh. Two-story, garden-style, office condo building with 3,600 square-feet, if calculating correctly. Built 1981, say tax records. Dispatched 10:02 p.m. as a multiple residential structure fire at the intersection of Falls of Neuse …

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Cigarette Carried to Attic By Pigeon and Other Unusual Fire Causes

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Updated December 2022 with content from archive blog postings, replacing links to pages no longer available. Back in 2009, we published a series of blog postings, listing vintage fire cause reports from around North Carolina from the late 1940s through the late 1950s, as (a.) reported to the State Insurance Commissioner’s office, (b.) compiled by …

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Run Card for Hedingham Shootings

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Posting last updated November 8, 2022, at 7:05 a.m. See more Legeros photos | Read Raleigh Police five-day report (PDF)  | Read historical perspective on mass shootings in Raleigh Here are notes about the fire and EMS response to the active shooter incident in Raleigh on October 13, 2022. Five people were shot and killed, including …

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