Two Alarms on Pumpkin Ridge Way on Saturday

Two alarms were struck in northeast Raleigh late Saturday afternoon, with two duplexes damaged after an accidental outdoor fire started. Engine 21 was dispatched 2420 Pumpkin Ridge Way at 5:21 p.m. for an outside fire. Within a minute it was upgraded with a structure fire response dispatched at 5:22 p.m. and adding E27, E11, E19, …

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Historic Mill Building Burns in Hillsborough – Recap, Run Card, etc.

Updates: See later posting about site – See site photos from February – Video clip added: View on YouTube Apologies for belated posting! Fire destroyed a portion of a historic mill building in Hillsborough on Friday evening. Orange Rural Fire Department, which protects the town, was dispatched along with mutual aid at 4:54 p.m. Location …

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Vehicles vs. Buildings, Vehicles vs. Trains

From the news files this week: Thursday – Versus apartment building – Fox Ridge Manor Road, Raleigh – WRAL story Thursday – Versus house – Lake Grove Boulevard, Cary – No injuries – WTVD story Thursday – Versus freight train – S. Salem Street, Apex – Minor injuries – WTVD story Sunday – Versus passenger …

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Weather Radar Shows Smoke Plume From Saturday’s Structure Fire

From the US National Weather Service Raleigh NC on Facebook: The smoke plume from the fire at Pinnacle Apartments at Crabtree in North Raleigh Saturday afternoon was evident in radar imagery from both the National Weather Service Weather Surveillance Radar in Clayton (KRAX) and the FAA Terminal Doppler Weather Radar near RDU (TRDU). The radar …

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How They Did It – Game Night in Chapel Hill

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 …

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Two Alarms (and More) on Edwards Mill Road

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 …

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Local Air Force Aircraft Accidents, 1919 to 1954

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, …

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Vintage Photo – Passenger Train Derails in Downtown Raleigh, 1961

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 …

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Dump Truck vs. House in Harnett County

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 …

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Fires in North Carolina Fire Stations

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 …

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