Archive of posts filed under the Incidents category.

Four Shelby Firefighters Killed in Explosion, May 25, 1979

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Update April 11, 2019 – Though initially suspected as caused by a natural gas explosion, it was later eliminated by investigators. Instead, they suspect a backdraft caused the explosion. See the detailed OSFM retrospective below. Updated this posting headline, changing “gas explosion” to “explosion” to reflect that important clarification.  This retrospective first appeared on FireNews.net …

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Chapel Hill Airport Burns – January 11, 1941

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From the Daily Tar Heel, January 12, 1941, via Digital NC / North Carolina Newspapers: Airport Burns; Seven CAA Planes Destroyed Defective Wiring Attributed Cause By Bucky Harward All ten airplanes and the hangar at the University airport were completely demolished last night between 7 and 8 o’clock by a fire which resulted from a …

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Remembering the Raleigh Riots, April 1968

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This month marks a grim anniversary–fifty years since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. He was shot at a motel in Memphis and pronounced dead at 6:05 p.m. EST.  Riots soon erupted across the state* and nation**. It was the greatest wave of social unrest in the United States …

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New Research – American Eagle Flights 3378 & 3379

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Announcing new historical research about American Eagle flights 3378 and 3379 and the emergency response to both crashes.  Flight 3378 crashed into a reservoir at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on February 19, 1988. All twelve souls aboard were killed. Flight 3379 crashed into the woods near Davis Drive in Morrisville on December 13, 1994. Fifteen passengers …

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Two Alarms on Dansey Drive This Morning

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Note: This posting incorporates information from this narrative posted by Wake New Hope Fire Department.  See more photos by Mike Legeros Two alarms were struck this morning at 4713 Dansey Drive. The reported structure fire was dispatched at 7:55 a.m. for Engines 19, 15, 27, 11, Ladders 2, 5, Rescue 1, Battalions 1 and 5, …

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Fatal Fires in Raleigh – 1948 to 2018

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Presenting the results of a recent research project: Fatal Fires in Raleigh, 1948-2018. Starting in 1948, and the deadliest fire in the city’s history. Five family members died after their apartment burned above the Carolina Country Club clubhouse in February 1948. Over 150 deaths, from incidents as limited by (a.) inside the city limits, or (b.) …

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This Morning’s Fire on Sanderford Road / Bit of Black Firefighter History

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City firefighters have been busy of late. Working fires have been happening seemingly daily, over the last couple weeks. This morning, south-side companies were dispatched to 2126 Sanderford Road. Engine 10 first-due. Dispatched about 7:20 a.m. With the run card E10 E2 E12 SQ7 L2 L8 R1 B2 B3. Actual fire address was 2120 Sanderford Road. …

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Helmet Cam Video from Eno Fire Department

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Local videos of helmet cams in action are few and far-between. Here’s a new one from YouTube user Pipe-Man26, showing the Eno Fire Department in Orange County responding to a commercial structure fire at 5304 Groucho Road on January 3.  The fire at a vacant seafood restaurant, and later or currently used as a storage …

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Chicago Crash Truck Dash Cam Videos of 767 Engine Fire

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Found these in this /r/firefighting thread. Super-cool (and newly posted) dash cam videos of Chicago Fire Department crash trucks in action at O’Hare International Airport on October 28, 2016. The lengthy clips were filmed as crews responded to, attacked, extinguished, and returned from an uncontrolled engine failure and fire on a Boeing 767. Talk about a …

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Fire at the Catholic Orphanage – October 29, 1905

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The News & Observer this week has a neat story by Josh Shaffer[1] about Raleigh’s old Catholic Orphanage, the cemetery that was once on the grounds, and reconstructing the history of what happened to the graves. [1] Link now broken, http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/josh-shaffer/article183205001.html The article also references the Sunday, October 29, 1905 fire at a dormitory that forced …

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