Fire Rips Through Downtown Elizabethtown, North Carolina

Aug. 25, 2004
Around three this afternoon, firefighters responded to a blaze in downtown Elizabethtown
(August 23, 2004) - Around three this afternoon, firefighters responded to a blaze in downtown Elizabethtown. When Elizabethtown firefighters got to the corner of King Street and Poplar Street, they only saw a little bit of smoke coming out from the building. Once they busted their way inside, they found much more. Elizabethtown Fire Chief Jamie Fulk, "It was at that time that we saw that the fire had actually extended farther than we could see. We were on the first floor. The fire had extended to the second floor and into the attic area."

The flames spread quickly from business to business, all under the same roof. Carolyn Hester, an Isley Construction employee, first noticed the smell of smoke around 2:30. She called 911 and got out. She said, "I smelled wood burning to start with, and I kept looking and couldn't find anything. And then, after about five minutes, I saw smoke coming out of the ceiling."

Emergency operators called thirteen departments to the scene, many supplying tanker after tanker to help douse the flames. Brunswick Fire Chief Jerry Gore said, "It's all teamwork. Teamwork comes together. Everything falls in place."

That teamwork kept the flames from spreading to other buildings. Amazingly no one got hurt.

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