VIDEO: The Charlotte Fire Department says that everyone is safe following a fire that destroyed part of a home in the University City area.
The fire occurred around 11 p.m. Wednesday on Barclary Forest Drive in the Old Stone Crossing neighborhood.
Channel 9's Almiya White spoke with a woman and her daughter, who said they were inside the home at the time of the fire. They said they felt lucky to have gotten out safely. Ring camera footage captured the moment the fire broke out, showing tall flames in the garage of the home.
Multiple units from the Charlotte Fire Department, as well as the Harrisburg Fire Department, responded to the scene. They said it took over 30 firefighters to get it under control within 35 minutes.
Officials said the fire did spread to other areas causing $170,000 in damages.
WSOC-TV ABC 9 Charlotte
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The City of Charlotte announced that the Fire Deputy Chief with the Charlotte Fire Department will be retiring after 35 years.
Chief Samuel Jones will be taking his final call for duty on Friday, Dec. 15.
A native of Bluefield, West Virginia has been with the Charlotte Fire Department since 1989 when he started as a recruit with no experience.
Jones quickly rose through the ranks as a firefighter and then to captain and battalion chief and he was promoted to Deputy Chief in 2018 by Fire Chief Reginald Johnson. He moved to Charlotte in 1986 and worked as a counselor.
“Chief Jones has tremendous love for the department, retirees, and everyone working to meet the mission of Charlotte Fire,” Johnson said. “Chief Jones has spent over three decades in service to the residents of Charlotte and sets a high bar of excellence for many of us to follow.”
WBTV CBS 3 Charlotte
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Ranlo Fire and Rescue recently announced they are in need of volunteers as the state of North Carolina has seen volunteer numbers decrease by nearly 5,000.
Future Ranlo Fire and Rescue volunteers will protect the community, wear heavy flame-resistant equipment, and once per year, they will likely dress up like Santa. The department’s current volunteers will don red at 8 a.m. Saturday morning, Dec. 9, as they deliver candy to the children of Ranlo.
The department’s annual Santa Ride became a tradition in 1976, nearly 50 years ago. In the early years of this tradition, volunteer firefighters at Ranlo Fire and Rescue would spend their afternoons in the weeks leading up to Christmas personally delivering a single candy cane to each child in the community, according to a press release from the department.
Gaston Gazette -Metered Site
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With 63,000 people and growing, the Town of Huntersville does not have full-time firefighters, instead the Huntersville Fire Department has operated as a nonprofit organization with part-time and volunteer firefighters.
That is about to change, though, as the department is recruiting full-time firefighters that will be paid by the town. Earlier this week, the board of commissioners voted to add a town fire chief and 18 full-time firefighters.
Nearly $305,000 will come from the town’s general fund, with another $1.1 million to come from grants and existing funds. The full-time firefighters will join the existing part-time and volunteer ones at the town’s existing fire stations. No positions will be eliminated. The reason behind the change comes down to staffing.
WBTV CBS 3 Charlotte
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