Asheville (NC) Fatal Fire Update: Water Pipes Appear to Have Worked

From citizen-times.com:

A pipe system designed to carry water from a street hydrant to the inside of an office building where a firefighter died battling a blaze appears to have been working, the Fire Department's commander said Friday.

In his first interview since the July 28 fire, department Chief Scott Burnette said the standpipe system at 445 Biltmore Avenue will be investigated, though he has no indication of problems.

“It is critical to us to understand whether or not that was functioning as it was designed,” he said. “We have no information, as of today, that there were issues with that standpipe system.”

Nearly 25 minutes passed from the time the first trucks left their stations about 12:30 p.m. until a crew reported they were finally putting water on the blaze from a ladder truck, according to recordings later published on a website.

Firefighters, in a recording of their transmissions during the fire, repeatedly made references to a lack of water.

Capt. Jeff Bowen, a 13-year department veteran, died from cardiac arrest after exposure to heat and smoke.

Federal investigators said Thursday that the fire had been deliberately set.

Read more HERE.

Fire That Killed Asheville (NC) Firefighter Was Arson, ATF Says

From WSPA.com:



The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with criminal investigators from the Asheville Fire and Police Departments and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI), have determined that the fire on July 28th, at the Medical Office Complex Building in Asheville was deliberately set. Asheville Fire Department Captain Jeffrey Scott Bowen was killed in that fire and several other firefighters had to be treated at area hospitals.

Over $20 million in damage occurred as a result of the fire. The investigation is being conducted jointly by ATF, the Asheville Police and Fire Departments and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI).

For more details go HERE. For more on this fatal incident, CLICK HERE.

8 Firefighters Injured in Asheville (NC) Fire; 1 Reported Dead

From wspa.com:

Eight firefighters were hospitalized after battling a fire at a medical building, 445 Biltmore Center, on the 5th floor.

The Ashville Fire PIO, Kelley Webb, says firefighters responded to the fire at about 1 p.m.

Mission Hospital officials said the building was evacuated. The medical building is not part of the hospital.

More than 50 firefighters responded to the fire. Webb says the part of the building containing the fire did not have sprinklers.

Asheville Fire says two firefighters were lost in the building and had to be taken to the hospital after they were found.

WLOS ABC 13 reports that one firefighter has died. See video HERE and HERE.

Three Killed in NC Mobile Home Fire

From wbtv.com:

Investigators say three people died in an early morning mobile home fire Sunday in western Lincoln County.

It happened on Betterbrook Lane. An 18-year-old man in the home survived by jumping through a window to safety. Investigators say he ran to a neighbor's home to call 911.

Firefighters say the home was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived. Deputy Michael Luckadoo tried to get through the back door, but said he was pushed back by the flames.

Read more HERE.

NC Firefighter Dies Responding to Incident

According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Web site, Firefighter David Hunsinger Jr. of the Tar Heel (NC) Rural Volunteer Fire Department died of injuries he sustained from an accident that occurred while he was responding to a brush fire call in his personal vehicle. He was 24. Hunsinger is the son of the department's fire chief.

Read more HERE.