Share this Post
As Raleigh rapidly grows upward, will we be ready when the next fire ignites?
Seven years ago, a fire raged in Downtown Raleigh, burning the construction site of The Metropolitan Apartments to the ground and damaging 10 other buildings. The five-alarm fire—which persisted late into the night—was the biggest in Raleigh in almost 100 years.
Nash Square’s Fire Station 1 (South Dawson Street) played a direct role in extinguishing the flames, working swiftly to ensure no one was injured or killed—and RFD was later applauded by the city for its efforts.
But in the aftermath of those heroic measures, the blaze resulted in a devastating $50 million in damage to infrastructure and proximal businesses—not to mention lingering effects on their livelihood. Smoky Hollow’s Clouds Brewing and Little City Brewing, for example, incurred significant interruption and financial devastation as shutdown streets brought business to a grinding halt, impacting ease of access to the popular destinations for months.
Since that harrowing conflagration in March 2017, Raleigh’s rising skyline is all but unrecognizable, with a plethora of towers since joining the horizon—and many more in development, specifically in Downtown and Midtown. For its part, the latter had only three high-rises of 10 stories or more that spring (Bank of America, Captrust and Midtown Plaza), with four more erected since and two in progress.
Disaster was curbed at The Metropolitan because Raleigh fire personnel were at the ready—organized and well-equipped. But the proliferation of high-rises begs the question: What happens when the next fire burns? Is Raleigh ready?
Safety Standards
Fire safety standards are set forth by the National Fire Protection Association, which establishes a goal emergency response time of 320 seconds (aka 5.33 minutes). The NFPA breaks that goal time into an 80-second turnout and 240-second travel increments. This requirement serves to provide effective and efficient protective services and reduce the risk to life and property.
Raleigh Fire Apparatus
All 28 fire stations in Raleigh have at least one pumper truck capable of pumping at least 750 gallons per minute and several stations house battalion SUVs, cargo trailers and ATVs to boot.
Translation: The city’s fire apparatus is comparable to other sister cities of similar size—think Richmond, Austin and Nashville, which boast ladder trucks ranging from 100 to 110 feet tall. Larger cities such as New York and Miami house ladder trucks reaching similar heights, with Chicago able to reach 137 feet. Raleigh Assistant Fire Chief of Professional Development Ian Toms explains an 110-foot ladder is standard and works as an aerial streaming device to allow firefighters to dump a couple thousand gallons of water onto a building in an efficient manner.
Across Raleigh, top resources—including the most sizable stations and ladder trucks—are purposefully positioned in the most densely populated areas or in districts with concentrated infrastructure. “We’ve got nine ladders in the city right now and a 10th one on the way, and, with all the development, we are asking for more.” says Toms. “The 10th will generally be in the southeast area of Raleigh because that’s where this massive push is now.”
Nash Square’s Fire Station 1 is well-equipped to serve the Downtown area—as clearly evidenced by its response to The Metropolitan Apartments. Brier Creek’s Station 24 is able to serve The Westin and RDU via its on-hand 105-foot aerial ladder. And the Station 14 (Harden Road) is a quick call from the well-populated Blue Ridge Corridor, including UNC Rex Hospital, PNC Arena and Carter-Finley Stadium, equipped with a ladder truck, various vehicles and a mini-pumper (a smaller, less expensive pump truck that can pump at least 250 gallons per minute).
Centered in Midtown adjacent to Carroll Middle School, Station 9 (Rowan and Six Forks) serves an area that has arguably seen more upward—and outward—expansion than any single district in Raleigh since 2017, including the ascension of The Cardinal East Tower, the Advance Auto Parts Tower and—Raleigh’s third tallest building at 36 stories—The Eastern. Housing a pump truck and a Battalion Chief’s vehicle, Station 9 is ideally positioned to respond to any proximal emergency.
“Are we short ladder companies? Yes. Are we short personnel? Yes. The chief right now is advocating for us on that behalf.”
— Ian Toms, Assistant Fire Chief of Professional Development
The Station 9 Shortcoming
Between locations and resources, RFD stations are, with one exception, equipped to reach any rescue needs well under that benchmark 320-second goal established by the NFPA. The city’s only potential vulnerable spot is North Hills—which doesn’t house an aerial ladder truck, nor the space to store one in-station.
According to a firefighter at Midtown’s Station 9 we spoke to about the matter, any necessary ladder support must come from sister Station 4 (near Sawmill and Six Forks roads), where the closest aerial ladder sits, 3.5 miles north. Last paced in 2022, that route records a time of 380 to 480 seconds from North Hills—clearly exceeding the standards set by NFPA. Thus, with continued growth and taller infrastructure, the question of needing a ladder truck at Station 9 is no longer a matter of if, but when. According to Toms, the station isn’t currently set for a ladder truck—nor the station expansion necessary to house it.
Rezoning Rescues
The need to adjust apparatus to accommodate our city’s rapid growth is well-documented. In 2022, Kane Realty asked Raleigh City Council to rezone part of its North Hills properties to adjust the allowed 12-story towers to 37 stories. Among other concessions, the proposal included land for a larger building for Station 9, which would have provided room for a ladder truck appropriate to tackle the building heights at North Hills. City Council voted against the proposal, killing the immediate opportunity for a larger station.
So where does that leave us? According to Toms, “Everything we have now from the ladder perspective is state-of-the-art. … Are we short ladder companies? Yes. Are we short personnel? Yes. The chief right now is advocating for us on that behalf.” So, until new equipment is acquired, the city must make do with the apparatus we have.
An apartment fire burned for 2 1/2 hours, leading to the destruction of 17 wooden buildings on Fayetteville, Hargett and Wilmington streets. The city’s first fire department was created as a response.
Five buildings on Martin Street were destroyed in a printing shop fire, with embers lighting 10 additional fires in the area.
A fire in Dorothea Dix Hospital’s West Wing led to the evacuation of 1,000 patients.
Once “the social center of the capital,” the Yarbough Hotel was almost completely destroyed in a fire started in the elevator shaft that burned for ~five hours.
In what is considered one of the worst fires in Raleigh’s modern history, the Mangel’s Building on Fayetteville Street burned for three hours as 100+ firefighters from every department in the city battled the blaze.
The contents and structure of the IGA Grocery Store on North Person Street were completely lost to a fire beginning in the ceiling of the building.
A lazily discarded cigarette resulted in ablaze pine straw, effectually destroying two dozen townhomes in Pine Knoll Townes in North Raleigh.
Starting at the construction site of The Metropolitan Apartments, Raleigh’s biggest fire in almost 100 years burned through the night, shooting flames 200 feet in the air and destroying a construction crane. The Quorum Center, Link Apartments and nine other nearby buildings were damaged, leaving hundreds in temporary housing.
Related Articles
Share this Post