Firefighters in a western North Carolina mountain town are mourning the deaths of four of their compatriots in a boating accident. "We're pretty upset now," lamented the Banner Elk Volunteer Fire Department Captain, Fred Shrader, "but we're thankful for the two who survived."
WSOC-TV Video Report: Four Elk Banner Firefighters Drown Off N.C. Coast
Kevin Bell, 33; Nathan "Griff" Lyerly, 22; Michael Shope, 21, and Archibald "Arch" McFadyen, 20, all lost their lives as their boat overturned off the Atlantic North Carolina coast, while Paul Poore and Shawn Knight survived.
Just a day into their trip, the men boarded an 18-foot vessel called "Wild Goose" off the coast of Holden Beach. After the boat capsized, the group tried swimming a mile and-a-half to shore. Poore and Knight succeeded and called 911 around 11 p.m. to report the accident, according to the Coast Guard. The Guard's North Carolina sector then deployed a 41-foot rescue boat, a C-130 airplane and a HH-60 helicopter in search of the other four missing men. In the early hours of the following day, a Marine Corps helicopter and other local agencies joined the search.
The first body was discovered off of the Lockwood Folley Inlet at 7:34 a.m. Three others were found nearby within the next five minutes. Three of the four deceased had been wearing lifejackets.
Subsequently, the men were taken to the Blue Water Point Marina where they were met by a local coroner. Poore and Knight arrived home early on March 17, according to Banner Elk Assistant Fire Chief, Peter Romonowski. "They are safe and they are well taken care," he added.
The National Weather Service had issued a small craft advisory for the area the day the boat capsized, warning of winds up to 10 knots and waves of 1 to 2 feet. Water temperatures were listed at 58 degrees.
"Telling parents their children are deceased is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," Captain Dean Lee, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Sector North Carolina, said. "I hope they know we did everything in our power to save their loved ones."
Three of the deceased were relative newcomers to the Banner Elk Department who split their time at nearby Lees-McRae College. Lyerly, a senior, served for three years; Shope, a junior, served for two; and McFadyen, a sophmore, served for one month. Bell, the son of Fire Chief Mickey Bell, had volunteered with Banner Elk for more than 15 years.
"Everyone at the College is deeply saddened by this tagic loss," Lees-McRae President David W. Bushman said in a statement. "They epitomized the highest ideals of the College, living a life of engagement and displaying a commitment to be in service to others."
Lees-McRae College will hold a prayer service for the three students on March 20 at 7 p.m. in Evans Auditorium in the Cannon Student Center, located on the college's campus.
A memorial service will be held March 22 at 3 p.m. at the Hayes Auditorium on the campus of Lees-McRae College.
Funeral arrangements are pending.