On Monday night, April 4, 2016, on the eve of a certain championship basketball game, the Chapel Hill Fire Department faced a formidable challenge. How to prepare for tens of thousands of people possibly swarming onto Franklin Street, and potentially starting fires or needing medical assistance? And while providing fire protection to the rest of …
Continue reading ‘How They Did It – Game Night in Chapel Hill’ »
Acknowledgements: Thanks to a bunch of folks, who helped me gather information as this incident was unfolding yesterday. It takes the proverbial village. Two alarms were struck and many additional units were dispatched at an apartment fire early Saturday evening, located behind Crabtree Valley Mall. And alarming quite a few folks who saw the column …
Continue reading ‘Two Alarms (and More) on Edwards Mill Road’ »
Have lately been researching local air crashes, and become increasingly curious about military aircraft incidents. (Have found a couple, including a B-17 crash in Garner in 1944.) Let’s get more exhaustive via this database of Air Force Accident Reports from the Aviation Archaeological Investigation & Research. They’ve indexed USAAF and USAF reports from 1918 to 1955, …
Continue reading ‘Local Air Force Aircraft Accidents, 1919 to 1954’ »
Bought this one on eBay. Color slide of a train derailment in downtown Raleigh. Slide says April 1961. Don’t have additional details just yet. Hadn’t heard of such incident, in fact. (I’ve found notable ones in 1907, 1943, and 1979.) Will consult microfilm copies of the News & Observer and Raleigh Times at my next …
Continue reading ‘Vintage Photo – Passenger Train Derails in Downtown Raleigh, 1961’ »
Though I usually use Twitter for these, let’s blog about this one this morning. Dump truck versus house in Harnett County. Happened in the 4500 block of Highway 210, near Angier, near the schools. Car collided with truck which collided with building. Says this WTVD story, the structure suffered such heavy damage it will likely …
Looking for major fires in North Carolina fire stations over the years and decades (and centuries). 2014, June 22 – North River-Laurel Road FD at 839 Merrimon Road in Carteret County – Fire started in apparatus bay and destroyed all three trucks and equipment. Believed to have started by 1991 Mack/Ward LaFrance (correct?) pumper/tanker. Bay …
January 16 One of the rescued boaters filmed their adventures–including while airborne!–and has posted a six-minute video on Vimeo: January 12 On Sunday, January 10, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the Raleigh Fire Department performed a helicopter rescue of two kayakers who capsized on the Cape Fear River in Lee County. They …
Continue reading ‘Updated with First-Person Video – Helo Rescue in Lee County on Sunday’ »
January 14 – Evening Added Hose & Nozzle story as comment. January 14 – MorningThe WRAL feature Tar Heel Traveler this week took reporter Scott Mason to the town of Hertford, where fire department members recalled the Winslow Oil Company fire of January 10, 1978. Watch the video story for numerous vintage images and even …
Continue reading ‘Vintage Photos of Winslow Oil Company Fire in Hertford, 1978’ »
Two alarms were struck early this morning at 3812 Western Boulevard, at Sushi Nine restaurant. Engine 5 arriving at a one-story, brick-and-wood commercial structure with 5,885 square-feet. Built 1985. Fire showing through roof on the left side/center of structure. Defensive operations started, as water supplies were established. Second alarm requested within about five minutes. Three …