2 injured in Durham duplex fire, multiple people displaced, officials say

Two people were injured in a duplex fire Thursday night in Durham, according to fire officials. The Durham Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire in the 1400-block of Gunter Street at 11:23 p.m., authorities said. Once fire crews got to the scene they saw that a one-story wood-framed duplex had fire coming from the left side. According to officials, 17 fire units and 39 firefighters responded to the scene and were able to get the fire under control in about 10 minutes. Although the fire was quickly controlled, the left side of the duplex was left with fire and smoke damage and the right duplex had smoke damage. Both of the people inside the left unit were taken to Duke Hospital in stable condition – one had burns and the other inhaled smoke, authorities said. The American Red Cross was called in to help the three people who were displaced from the right unit.
WNCN-TV CBS 17 Goldsboro

Sirens in Clayton will honor firefighter who died from COVID-19

Three sirens will sound Friday morning for Jason Dean, a 20-year veteran of the Clayton Fire Department who died after a battle with coronavirus. On Friday morning, the Town of Clayton will have a ceremonial sounding of an old fire siren to honor Dean. The 42-year-old firefighter left a wife and two daughters behind when he died from COVID-19 complications earlier this week. Dean was hospitalized on Aug. 18 and died on Wednesday. Dean's body was returned to his hometown in Clayton from the hospital on Thursday night. The siren will be sounded three times at 11 a.m. in Clayton on Friday. Town officials said it will echo out for several miles. Officials want the siren "to encourage the community to stop and pause for a moment of silence in honor of Deputy Chief Dean." On Monday, a funeral procession will take place for Dean. Several fire trucks will follow the procession to his private burial.
WRAL-TV CBS 5 Raleigh

Follow up: Winston-Salem rookie firefighter talks about leading the firefight at apartment fire

VIDEO: It was a fearless act caught on video where a rookie firefighter stepped into action in a moment of disaster. “They definitely put me in the right spot at the right time and allowed me to pretty much be all eyes on me,” Winston-Salem Firefighter Henry Murray said. It was a moment Murray will never forget. He has been a firefighter for only two weeks when the call came in on Motor Road early Wednesday morning. “When I got out there, I got out of the truck I thought to myself, ‘Hey, this is a lot.’ It happens pretty quick and I was just following the lead of my captain,” Murray said. Instead of following he led by example. Battling those strong flames with a team at his side. “I was confident I had very good leadership that was around. It was a team effort and there’s a lot of knowledge around that got me to this spot right here,” Murray said. Thankfully no one was hurt, but Murray knows it’s not always going to be easy.
WGHP-TV Fox 8 Greensboro

Woman dies in house fire in Robeson County

A 46-year-old Red Springs woman died in a house fire Wednesday morning, Red Springs Fire Chief John Ammons said. First responders were dispatched about 4:38 a.m. to a home at 67 Beck St., the fire chief said. When firefighters arrived at 4:45 a.m., the “single-story wood frame house” was “fully-involved in flames,” Ammons said. Two passenger cars parked in the yard and an RV also were burning. The vehicles were parked close to the house, and caught fire soon after the house did, he said. A woman’s body was recovered from the home, and will be sent to the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Raleigh for a positive identification, Red Springs Police Chief Brent Adkins said. Jacoby Jacobs, the property owner’s son, suffered minor burn injuries and a cut caused by glass from a window in the RV, Ammons said.
Robesonian

79-year-old man dies after Duplin County home explosion

Duplin County officials say an elderly man died after his home blew up Wednesday afternoon. Lon Record passed away around 1:00 a.m. at the Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill. The 79-year-old man was flown to the burn center after a gas leak led to the explosion at his home on Jackson Store Road outside of Beulaville. Five animals also died in that explosion. Officials say a total of 17 animals were captured and 12 are currently being treated. About six of them are in critical condition. Fire officials say they are still looking for two dogs. The injured animals are at the Wilmington Emergency Animal Clinic.
WITN-TV NBC 7 Washington

Recruits graduate to Kannapolis Fire Firefighter positions

The Kannapolis Fire Department welcomes three new firefighters, Jacob Graworecki, Michael Nance and Ryan Wilson, to its ranks. The new recruits completed eight weeks of fire, rescue and medical training prior to officially joining the department. A badge pinning ceremony was conducted at Veteran’s Park recognizing the new personnel for their achievements. During the ceremony, family members pinned the recruits by placing their badges on their uniforms for the first time, signifying the transition from “Recruit” to “Firefighter.” "I am extremely proud of these three new firefighters and thankful to those who helped to guide and instruct them along their journey,' said Kannapolis Fire Chief Tracy Winecoff. “Being a firefighter has always been and still remains a service profession, and they are expected to serve the residents of our City to the best of their ability. I am positive these guys will do all they can do to live up to those expectations. We welcome them to our family.”
WBTV CBS 3 Charlotte

Highlands board approves funding for new fire department

A new Highlands Fire Department moved one step closer to fruition on Thursday when the town board approved a rezoning request for the property and accepted a not-to-exceed bid price from contractor DR Reynolds Company. During a public hearing regarding the rezoning of the parcel at 149 Franklin Road the only question from the public concerned the traffic impact of locating the fire department on a busy thoroughfare. “We have worked with the NC Department of Transportation to look at the traffic, and they saw no issue with that location,” Highlands Fire Chief Ryan Gearhart said. “We are looking into the possibility of putting warning signs, for when a call comes in, to notify motorists that emergency vehicles will be entering the roadway. Something similar to what you see when you drive down NC 106 at the Sky Valley turnoff, where the turn is marked with flashing lights when a vehicle is approaching.”
The Highlander