Fatal 2nd+ alarm fire, Winston-Salem, NC 2-23-14

[BFD1151]

Yesterday while listening to the scanner I heard an apartment fire getting boxed out about 10 min from my house. At around 1400 hours, the "2nd alarm" (I use that term loosely since we do not have a structured alarm system) came out on Huntingreen Lane near Robinhood Road in Winston-Salem so I decided to take in the fire.

 

Reports on the radio said at least 2 people jumped out of the 2nd floor window to escape. Unfortunately, a wheelchair bound man in a 1st floor apt did not make it out. The cause is still under investigation.

 

View when I first pulled up...

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#2 heavy fire spread throughout the building thanks to a brisk wind

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Truck 18 was the first due truck but had issues with their ladder pipe which is why it was not flowing.

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Truck 1 (using a reserve) pulled up next to T18 and began setting up...

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#5

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Truck 18 finally fixed their ladder pipe and began flowing

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Another view

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Finally knocked down

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Chief Davis (in the white shirt) talking with displaced residents

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FCEMS Bus 1 made an appearance

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Complete rundown:

E18,E15,E8,E10,E6

T18, T1

Rescue 1

Air Resource 1

Battalion 1

Battalion 4 (Safety)

Battalion 3 (Operations)

Car 22, Car 17 (investigators)

FCEMS Unit 33, MSU, Bus 1, 804 (supervisor)

 

Relief companies

E2, E11, E12, T2

[Guest]

Great shots.

[hank]

Good photos!

 

tHANKs

[gmuhr]

Nice shots

[jlg1875]

Nice photos Micah thanks for posting! Do you have a website or is there a thread on Firepics of photos of Winston-Salem's current fleet? Curious to see what that reserve aerial looks like. Thanks and stay SAFE!

[Guest]

We've got a few apartment complexes around here that are made jsut like those, and when they catch fire, they go quick!!! I don't know if it has to do with the type of construction or what, but I've seen fires at 2 different complexes, and they went up quick!! They usually end up as multiple alarms.

[BFD1151]

Nice photos Micah thanks for posting! Do you have a website or is there a thread on Firepics of photos of Winston-Salem's current fleet? Curious to see what that reserve aerial looks like. Thanks and stay SAFE!

 

There's several photos of WSFD's fleet under my more NC rigs thread. The engine fleet is 95% Sutphen with a few Spartan/Crimsons and a lone Spartan/Toyne that serves as E18. The Trucks are exclusively Sutphen ladders or towers and Rescue 1 is a Pierce Saber. I will post a shot of the reserve ladder momentarily in the NC thread. 

[BFD1151]

We've got a few apartment complexes around here that are made jsut like those, and when they catch fire, they go quick!!! I don't know if it has to do with the type of construction or what, but I've seen fires at 2 different complexes, and they went up quick!! They usually end up as multiple alarms.

 

The type of construction had a lot to do with this fire. With the common attic and no firestop, the fire was able to spread throughout the entire unit. Investigators (I was not on-call at the time) determined this fire was caused by an electrical short in the wiring of this multi-family dwelling built in 1969.