Waynesville Explosion, 1942

Tale of a tragedy from western North Carolina. Early in the morning of Tuesday, July 14, 1942, a pair of explosion at a bulk fuel storage facility in Waynesville killed six people, and also fatally injured Fire Chief Lawrence Kerley. The local newspaper, the weekly Waynesville Mountaineer, provided ample coverage of the disaster, including these …

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Two Alarms in Durham – Condos Under Construction

Two alarms were struck in Durham just before midnight on Tuesday, August 11, 2020. Dispatched 11:50 p.m. for 512 Gordon Street. Three-story condo building, under construction. Behind the old the police station. Engine 1 advised smoke column while en route, requesting the box be filled. Second alarm requested by Engine 1 officer on arrival, with …

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Five Children Killed, No Working Smoke Alarms, Greensboro’s Deadliest Fire

August 2020 The officers of the first-arriving engine and ladder companies have shared their personal stories of that night, as a peer support resource. The recording was produced by the Greensboro Fire Department History Book Committe, and is linked from their web site at http://gfhbc.org/ May 2018 This blog posting was originally posted on Legeros …

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Two Alarms on Winding Waters Way

Two alarms were struck on Saturday evening, July 4, 2020, at 3134 Winding Waters Way in very north Raleigh. Dispatched at 6:28 p.m. Engine 25 arriving at a three-story, wood-frame, townhouse unit with 1,908 square-feet. Built 2003, say tax records. Reported as gas grill on back deck that had caught the structure on fire. Engine …

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Two Alarms on Suntree Court – Plus Audio

Two alarms were struck on Saturday afternoon, June 13, 2020, in Brier Creek at 10705 Suntree Court. Two-story, brick-exterior, single-family dwelling with full basement, with 5,699 square-feet. Built 2001, say tax records. Alarm time 3:25 p.m. Working fire assignment dispatched while units were en route, due to heavy column of smoke visible from Arnold Palmer …

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Umstead Park Plane Crash, October 2019 – Incident Notes

On October 20, 2019, starting at 7:25 p.m., fire and EMS units were dispatched to a reported plane crash at Umstead State Park, which borders Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The dispatched address was the intersection of Ebenezer Church Road and Graylyn Drive. The airport control tower reported loss of radar contact with a light plane, later …

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Vintage Audio – Three Alarms on Edwards Mill Road, 1990

For Friday enjoyment, here’s some vintage radio traffic of the Raleigh Fire Department operating at a three-alarm fire off Edwards Mill Road on July 21, 1990. It was recorded by veteran fire buff Jeff Harkey during a period of severe storm activity. The ninety minutes of radio traffic–both before and after the major incident–has been …

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Two Alarms on St. Regis Circle

This posting compiles information posted earlier in several Facebook postings on Legeros Fire Line. See photos by Legeros | Listen to radio traffic Two alarms were struck at 6200 St. Regis Circle on Friday afternoon, April 4, 2020. Dispatched 2:42 p.m. Three-story, wood-frame, garden-style apartment building with 19,140 square-feet and 24 units, according to tax …

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Raleigh Retires Snorkel

End of an era. This week, the City of Raleigh Fire Department’s beloved Snorkel was retired. Effective April 1, 2020. The 1988 Pierce Arrow, with an 85-foot boom and no pump, had served as a reserve apparatus for over a decade. It was currently designated Ladder 210. Most recently and famous, it operated at one …

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The Grandstand Burned… But The Race Continued, 1959

This content was original posted on the Legeros Fire Line Facebook page. Go there for more content and much more frequent postings. March 26, 2020 Photo error!. The previously included photos of a burning grandstand were not from this incident, but an earlier speedway fire in Greensboro. The grandstand at their fairgrounds burned on May 1, …

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