Arson investigation still open five years after Asheville firefighter's death

  • Source: WLOS-TV ABC 13 Asheville
  • Published: 05/25/2016 08:49 PM

Investigators continue the search for an arsonist who set fire to a local medical building killing a mountain firefighter. This summer marks the five-year anniversary of the death of Asheville firefighter Captain Jeff Bowen. Bowen was killed fighting a fire at 445 Biltmore Avenue, now renamed 1 Hospital Drive, on the campus of Mission Hospital. July 28, 2016 marks the fifth anniversary of the fire, but for some, it hardly seems possible. "Time is such a relative thing. If you told me I spent five years in that building that day, I would have believed you," said Asheville firefighter Jay Bettencourt. Bettencourt was with Captain Jeff Bowen when Bowen collapsed inside the building, out of air and in trouble. "You know, the feeling that I remember about it the most was stress. Like a crushing, debilitating stress and I felt like I was working for Captain Bowen to try to get us...get myself out [and] get him out just as a team. We were trying to get out together," said Bettencourt.



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