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Posted April 30, 2007 EST
Fire Levels 12 Beach Condos
United States (North Carolina) -
Twelve homes in a three-building condominium complex at Shutters-on-the-Shore were destroyed by fire Sunday afternoon and the exterior of a third building in the complex was damaged. Several of the homes were occupied at the time of the blaze, but everyone escaped without injury, said Eddie Lewis, Carteret County fire marshal.
A 911 call was received at about 4:18 p.m. in reference to a fire burning somewhere between two of the three six-unit buildings at 101 Salter Path Road, which is just west of Atlantic Beach and in the town limits of Pine Knoll Shores, Lewis said. Firefighters from Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle, Salter Path, Morehead City, Wildwood and Beaufort fire departments responded.
"The fire was well involved in one of the buildings before the first fire engine got there," Lewis said. The first priority was to ensure the safety of both the occupants and the firefighters, Lewis said. "There was some collapse hazards," Lewis said. "We thought one of the stairwells was going to collapse.
They were in a defensive mode. We didn't want to get someone inside or up close. It was not worth getting someone hurt over a structure collapse." When Lewis arrived on the scene, he didn't know what he would find so he contacted the State Bureau of Investigation. "I didn't know if I would have multiple fatalities," he said. But the occupants of all three buildings made it out of the complex before firefighters arrived.
There were also no firefighters injured. The weather was an issue and firefighters were able to save only one of the 12-unit buildings, which suffered only exterior damage. "The wind was very much an aggravating factor in the fire," Lewis said. "The wind was blowing off the ocean right in the face of the firefighters. They were applying water into the fire but also into the wind. It was frustrating."
The cause of the fire is unknown, although officials were able to pinpoint the area of origin. An estimate of monetary damage wasn't immediately known. "I couldn't really even begin to guess," Lewis said. The oceanfront condominium complex, which was built in 2003, is located near the Sheraton Hotel and across the street from what used to be Jungle Land amusement park. The buildings, which are about 15 feet apart, are three stories high and have parking underneath.
The units in the buildings are not rentals, which made it easier to locate occupants, Lewis said. "By 6:30 we felt confident that we had identified all the people that were staying there," Lewis said. Although the fire was contained by 9:55 p.m. when the Daily News spoke with Lewis, firefighters were still dousing the buildings with water. "It's contained and under control but there is a lot of smoke," said Lewis who expected firefighters to remain on the scene all night.
"The fire departments acted very smart and did what they were trained to do," Lewis said. "They fought the fire well and really worked well together." It will be a few days before a thorough investigation can be done. "The fire scene has to cool down before we can begin to investigate," Lewis said. "... We'll need to pull the debris back so we can get inside and take a look." Roy Brownlow of Emerald Isle was taking a flying lesson with his 13-year-old son Sunday afternoon when he spotted the fire. At first, Brownlow thought the blaze was associated with a fire on a cargo vessel at the state port in Morehead that he heard about earlier in the day. He quickly realized two condominiums were engulfed in flames. "It was a major fire," said Brownlow who was in the back seat of the plane and immediately starting snapping photos. "They had every fire truck in the world out there. They were just pumping water on it."
A 911 call was received at about 4:18 p.m. in reference to a fire burning somewhere between two of the three six-unit buildings at 101 Salter Path Road, which is just west of Atlantic Beach and in the town limits of Pine Knoll Shores, Lewis said. Firefighters from Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle, Salter Path, Morehead City, Wildwood and Beaufort fire departments responded.
"The fire was well involved in one of the buildings before the first fire engine got there," Lewis said. The first priority was to ensure the safety of both the occupants and the firefighters, Lewis said. "There was some collapse hazards," Lewis said. "We thought one of the stairwells was going to collapse.
They were in a defensive mode. We didn't want to get someone inside or up close. It was not worth getting someone hurt over a structure collapse." When Lewis arrived on the scene, he didn't know what he would find so he contacted the State Bureau of Investigation. "I didn't know if I would have multiple fatalities," he said. But the occupants of all three buildings made it out of the complex before firefighters arrived.
There were also no firefighters injured. The weather was an issue and firefighters were able to save only one of the 12-unit buildings, which suffered only exterior damage. "The wind was very much an aggravating factor in the fire," Lewis said. "The wind was blowing off the ocean right in the face of the firefighters. They were applying water into the fire but also into the wind. It was frustrating."
The cause of the fire is unknown, although officials were able to pinpoint the area of origin. An estimate of monetary damage wasn't immediately known. "I couldn't really even begin to guess," Lewis said. The oceanfront condominium complex, which was built in 2003, is located near the Sheraton Hotel and across the street from what used to be Jungle Land amusement park. The buildings, which are about 15 feet apart, are three stories high and have parking underneath.
The units in the buildings are not rentals, which made it easier to locate occupants, Lewis said. "By 6:30 we felt confident that we had identified all the people that were staying there," Lewis said. Although the fire was contained by 9:55 p.m. when the Daily News spoke with Lewis, firefighters were still dousing the buildings with water. "It's contained and under control but there is a lot of smoke," said Lewis who expected firefighters to remain on the scene all night.
"The fire departments acted very smart and did what they were trained to do," Lewis said. "They fought the fire well and really worked well together." It will be a few days before a thorough investigation can be done. "The fire scene has to cool down before we can begin to investigate," Lewis said. "... We'll need to pull the debris back so we can get inside and take a look." Roy Brownlow of Emerald Isle was taking a flying lesson with his 13-year-old son Sunday afternoon when he spotted the fire. At first, Brownlow thought the blaze was associated with a fire on a cargo vessel at the state port in Morehead that he heard about earlier in the day. He quickly realized two condominiums were engulfed in flames. "It was a major fire," said Brownlow who was in the back seat of the plane and immediately starting snapping photos. "They had every fire truck in the world out there. They were just pumping water on it."
Written by The Daily News
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