Charlotte NC 5th Alarm 5/18/23

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SOUTHPARK FIRE: Two construction workers missing, 15 others rescued in 5-alarm apartment complex fire in the SouthPark area of south Charlotte.
** UPDATE - The crane operator has been rescued! **
Multiple-alarm fire at an apartment building under construction in the South Park area of Charlotte. The crane operator is currently trapped. I'm hearing reports that some of the Charlotte fire trucks caught fire. Photos from Ceci Aldyth




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Firefighting Brothers and Sisters: don’t you just love lightweight building construction? . . . Fltpara16 comment




 

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Heard this on NBC's Today this morning. Lets pray they found the last 2 Workers.
 
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Radio Traffic:

Text Transcript from Legeros Fire Line on Facebook
- Engines 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 19 20 24 28 30 32 33 39 65
- Ladders 1 2 3 4 16 23 27 31
- Towers 26
- Rescues 10 89 (reserve)
- Battalions 3 4 5 7 8 21 (callback) 25 (callback)
- Cars 1 2 4 10 14 15 19 20 202 205 209 800 502 900 (SOC) 901 (SOC) 902 (SOC) 904
- Investigators 3 5
- Rehab 1
- Haz-Mat 13 32
- Tanker 37
- Brush 5
- Pineville Tower 1, Chief 9
- Wesley Chapel E310
- Midland Tower 1
- Others?
Mutual Aid Coverage:
- Carolina FD
- Concord E9 > Sta 27
- Cornelius H&L 44 > Sta 1
- Cornelius R3 > Sta 1
- Davidson Tower 1 > Sta 10
- Pineville Car 1 as Chief 9 > Southside chief
- Pineville E2 > Sta 39
- Pineville R8 > Sta 43
- Pineville Tower 1 > Sta 20
- Pleasant Valley (SC) Engine 1401 > Sta 19
- Pleasant Valley (SC) Ladder 1441 > Sta 32
- Harrisburg E2 > Sta 27
- Steele Creek E1 > Sta 24
- Steele Creek E2 > Covering Sta 37 from SCFD Sta 2
- Steele Creek L2 > Sta 26
- Others?
MEDIC units?
OPERATIONAL NOTES
- How many ladder streams? L1 L2 L4 (exposure) L16 L24 who else?
- How many deck guns?
- How many portable monitors?
- How many hydrants?
- Staging at Fairview and Piedmont
- Command post location?
- Rehab locations (2)?
- How many impacted exposures?
GENERAL NOTES
- Five alarms
- Dispatched 9:04 a.m. as vehicle fire in adjacent parking deck
- Fire spread to mid-rise apartment building under construction, Modera SouthPark at 7740 Liberty Row Drive. Seven-story structure with 180K/190K square-feet.
- 15 people rescued, including a tower crane operator
- Mayday issued, two firefighters rescued
- Two civilians treated and released with minor injuries
- One construction worker later found, deceased
- One more construction workers unaccounted for
- Over 90 firefighters on scene
- Ladder 2 damaged, among other apparatus
- Collapses on three sides
- Damage to nearby buildings, including rooftop fires due to spreading embers
- Damage to several cars in the parking deck, from the high heat
DETAILED NOTES FROM RADIO TRAFFIC
Also, ahem, selective notes. They're not comprehensive.
Listen at youtube.com/watch?v=5-K7NZzufUM
- Dispatched 9:04 a.m.
- B5 E14 E2 E12 L16 - First alarm
- Vehicle fire 7741 Liberty Row Drive
- Unattached trailer mid-rise parking deck
- L16 first-arriving, heavy smoke showing
- L16 requests working fire for mid-rise assignment
- B1 E43 INV3 R10 Safety 1 - Working fire
- Request for two additional ladders
- L1 adds self
- Car 10 dispatched
- L2 dispatched
Second Alarm
- B7 E39 E20 E24 INV5 L24 Rehab 1 - Second alarm [09:20]
- Workers on scene advise that trailer contains liquid used for insulation. Haz-mat response requested.
- Car 2 dispatched
- Car 20 dispatched
- HM13 en route
- Car 19 dispatched
- Car 15 dispatched
- HM13 dispatched
- Caller in tower advises they can see the trailer fully involved, crews may be on the wrong side of the structure.
- Car 209 dispatched
- Attention, second alarm has been declared.
- Reports of two workers trapped on fourth floor. Request for 40-foot ladder.
- HM32 en route [?].
- Tower 26 dispatched
- HM32 dispatched
- L32 dispatched
- Car 205, Car 202 dispatched
- Seat of fire found [09:18]
- Car 10 now has command. Strike third alarm. Please set staging for both second and third alarms [09:20]
- Screaming/shouting. All companies, evacuate structure. [09:20]
Third Alarm
- B3 E19 E10 E17 L4 - Third alarm [09:20]
- Attention, third alarm has been declared.
- Station reassignment, L23 > Sta 16.
- Car 14 dispatched
- Staging at Fairview and Piedmont
- Car 16 dispatched
- Attention, all companies operating, evacuate structure [09:22]
- Car 4, E8 dispatched
- L1, set your aerial up.
- Station reassignment, E40 > Sta 24
- Request to start PAR [09:23]
- Station reassignment, E65 > Sta 16
- Request for ladder in-between buildings
- L24 has been set-up, opposite side of L2
- Station reassignment, E28 > Sta 20
- E6 dispatched
- Companies coming down balconies, use caution, lots of glass coming down
- E32 dispatched
- Attention all companies, this will be all-defensive. Also changing command structure, assigning new division. [09:30]
- Still have a crane operator trapped. "He's getting impatient."
Fourth Alarm
- B8, E5, E4, E3, L3, [09:31]
- "...bail out and we'll get you off to the side." [09:32]
- Attention, fourth alarm has been declared.
- Command receives mayday from L1. [09:33]
- Sixth floor [stairwell?]. Need two RIT packs.
- Car 800 dispatched
- All other companies than RIT, hold traffic.
- L1 is evacuating.
- L1, all personnel are out of structure. Mayday can be cancelled. [09:38]
- Car 21 with emergency traffic. Crane operator reports high heat in the cab. But there's a breeze [so he's getting air?] [09:39]
- Put L2 straight up, to protect the crane operator.
- Station reassignment, E40 > Sta 32
- Need to move L2, the heat is melting the lens
- Station reassignment, L32 > Sta 1
- Crane operator is 160 feet above ground.
- Partial collapse on delta side, fire building, impinging on parking deck next door. [09:42]
- Other collapse conditions note, possible partial collapse of crane.
- All companies on B side, begin evacuating that area. [09:44]
- Ladder 2 remaining in place. Only thing protecting the crane operator.
- Car 2 now command.
- Directions to move apparatus, shut down ladders, move out of collapse.
- B division to command, urgent traffic. [09:47]
- Collapse on this side, leaving Ladder 2 alone, flowing. Truck is being sacrificed at this time.
- Station reassignment, E27 > Sta 2
- Also unmanned monitors on B division.
- A side beginning to collapse [09:49]
- Crane needs water on it, near the base. Starting to off gas.
- Some cars on fire in the parking deck.
- Station reassignment, E33 > Sta 39
- E14 and L16 catching on fire. Working on moving.
- Station reassignment, E18 > Sta 18
- Collapse on C side now.
- INV2 dispatched
- Give me another alarm. [09:56]
- R10 personnel at base of crane, with rope and harness for rescue. [09:56]
Fifth Alarm
- B4 E11 E16 E28 L27 [09:56]
- Don't put the personnel on the crane, it looks like it's [something has fallen over, onto the crane?]
- Attention, fifth alarm has been declared [09:58]
- Attention "B" side companies, get ready for a collapse. Move out of the collapse zone.
- Recommend getting a helicopter from CMPD or NCANG for aerial rescue.
- Report of four people on balcony of hotel directly across, trapped.
- L31 dispatched
- E65 dispatched
- Car 7 dispatched
- Station reassignment, L23 > Sta 24
- _____ dispatched
- All companies, B/C corner about to collapse. [10:05]
- Can you notify water department, we need pressure boost?
- [ Discussion of crew inside exposure, with fire impinging ]
- We need to get water on that crane.
- We can see the crane operator, he's still moving around.
- We're in communication with the crane operator. Just keep it cool, he's flyin' high, he's doing good.
- Working on communicating with NCANG in Salisbury for helo rescue.
- All crane rescue/RIT companies change to separate radio channel
- Need water "all over" the crane, mainly on the operator. Once it cools down, rescue will go and get him. It's extremely hot, but its integrity seems intact.
- Crane operating has exited cab. Ready to climb down shaft. [10:11]
- "B" side companies, move to another channel (Hotel).
- Station reassignment, E33 > Sta 10
- L18 > Sta 4
- Rescue is "fixing to climb" the tower. [10:14]
- Can we get water supply on another channel? [10:15]
- Station reassignment, Pineville E2 > Sta 39
- Station reassignment, Harrisburg E2 > Sta 27
- Exposure building (Hilton Canopy Building) is catching on fire, they're trying to evacuate people [10:17]
- Station reassignment, Steele Creek E1 > Sta 26
- Stop ladder flowing on tower. [10:19]
- Rescue 10 is attempting rescue of tower operator.
- CMPD helicopter en route as back up, landing zone identified, but they don't have any rope or mechanism to lift. - Need NCANG unit out of Salisbury.
- Station reassignment, [unintelligible] > Sta 42
- CMPD helicopter has landing. Request for NCANG has been declined.
- All units on Charlie, hold traffic unless urgent unless you're part of the crane rescue team.
- RIT packs, gloves, etc. all ready for crane operator, when he comes down. [10:29]
- Attention all stations/units, per Deputy Fire Chief, do not call into Fire Alarm (dispatch) on radio unless you have an emergency.
- INV5, dispatched
- Discussion of equipment for helo, if it's needed. [Sounds like they have a workaround, to perform helo rescue.]
- Mention of fire [on roof?] of Hilton Canopy Building.
- Mention of crane rescue crew, three firefighters. Changing/swapping positions [bottles? Equipment?] as they go up.
- Crews using extinguishers at rear of Hilton Canopy Building, need more extinguishers. [10:34]
- Highway Patrol has helicopter available, do they want them? Yes, have them come.
- Mention of a call that E40 was dispatched to, Carolina FD is handling.
- Crane operator is just outside cab, he exited as the cab had started burning.
- Is he coming down, or am I going up. He doesn't have any gloves and it's hot. If you can, go up and get him. [10:38]
- Reports of multiple spot fires in the building. Also, fire alarms throughout the building. [Hilton Canopy Building?]
- Crane operator has been reached, rescue company member "has got him" and on the way down. [10:41]
- Crane operator now safe, being moved to "C" side to be looked at by MEDIC. [10:43]
- Cancel both CMPD and SHP helicopters
- L4 setting up for exposure building
- Suggest repurposing L26 to hit sixth floor of exposure building before "it gets away from us.
- Another exposure building "just has smoke" [10:46]
- "Eight additional alarms from the alarm company"
- "Any company that does not have an assignment report to rehab"
- Car 13 dispatched
- L4 flowing into sixth floor of exposure building. [10:52]
- Crane looks stable, does not look like its leaning, etc.
- E16 removing smoke from their building.
- Two rehabs have been set up. [10:56]
- Crane company will bring equipment to measure the crane, to assess its stability and if it's a hazard.
- We are transferring from protecting the crane frame to protecting the "B" exposure. [11:00]
- Station Reassignment, Tanker 33 > Sta 43
- Station Reassignment, Tanker 35 > Sta 11
- Station Reassignment, Tanker 40 > Sta 6
- Station Reassignment, Concord E9 > Sta 27
- Station Reassignment, Cornelius E3 [H&L 44] > Sta 27
Additional Alarm
- B21 [?], B25, E1, E30, E33, L23 - Working fire, 6135 Park South Drive (fire on roof, nearby building)
- Tanker 37 dispatched - 6135 Park South Drive
- Station Reassignment, [garbled] > Sta [garbled]
- [garbled], dispatched - 6135 Park South Drive
- Brush 5, dispatched - 6135 Park South Drive
- B4, dispatched - 6135 Park South Drive
- Car 904, Rescue 89 [reserve] on scene - 6135 Park South Drive
- Davidson Tower 1 answering calls in city
- B27 in command on Park South [11:15]
- Rehab [at main fire] moving to separate channel
- Park South Drive, several spot fires found, requesting roof saws
[ Transcription stopped at 11:17:07, after Fire Ops 1B transmission lasting 17 seconds ]
 

Bulldog

Bulldog
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Unfortunately I heard on the news a little while ago that the 2 missing workers were both found deceased inside the structure.
 
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Ladder 2’s Facebook page reported the truck was abandoned in the street between the buildings, photos showed the truck covered in ash and such, no immediate damage noted.
 
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I have a friend who works in R11 (probably was R89) who was working and at the fire. Said the building was originally supposed to be steel and aluminum framing but the builders changed it last minute to wood frame. I believe he said the fire started in a generator that was used for spraying insulation; thus it was huge fuel source to getting it going quickly. L1's mayday automatically resulted in another alarm; and it was a very close call almost lost the whole crew.
 
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I have a friend who works in R11 (probably was R89) who was working and at the fire. Said the building was originally supposed to be steel and aluminum framing but the builders changed it last minute to wood frame. I believe he said the fire started in a generator that was used for spraying insulation; thus it was huge fuel source to getting it going quickly. L1's mayday automatically resulted in another alarm; and it was a very close call almost lost the whole crew.
The only time I have ever seen such a column of thick, black smoke was when the oil fields were torched during the Iraqi War.
 

Bulldog

Bulldog
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The only time I have ever seen such a column of thick, black smoke was when the oil fields were torched during the Iraqi War.
I have been wondering what generated the black smoke. It was just open wood framing with insulation from all reports, unless the insulation was spray foam, which I doubt because of its cost, I'm not sure what generated the black smoke.
 
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I have been wondering what generated the black smoke. It was just open wood framing with insulation from all reports, unless the insulation was spray foam, which I doubt because of its cost, I'm not sure what generated the black smoke.
I’ve seen a few places say it was spray foam.
 
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Now the average dwelling unit contains about 1,300 LBS of Plastics and other synthetics. Not only dos that cause black or dark smoke, but the smoke contains very dangerous products of combustion, and is in fact, dangerous to human life. Brothers and sisters wear your S.C.B.A.
Captain Bob Rainey FDNY Engine 26
 

Bulldog

Bulldog
Joined
Apr 16, 2008
Messages
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Now the average dwelling unit contains about 1,300 LBS of Plastics and other synthetics. Not only dos that cause black or dark smoke, but the smoke contains very dangerous products of combustion, and is in fact, dangerous to human life. Brothers and sisters wear your S.C.B.A.
Captain Bob Rainey FDNY Engine 26
Yes, I agree but these were just framed units, nothing in the interior at all.
 
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Even in a building under construction, "Framed Units" Plastic are in place. Plastic Plumbing, Wire Insulation, plastic panels, roofing materials, and many fixtures in kitchens etc.. Often there is more burning in a building under construction the we realize at first, While Black smoke often means flammable liquids or plastics ="Solid Flammables mostly made of a petroleum base," fire burning in Oxygen = Air limited areas can also produce dark smoke under the right conditions. Color of the smoke is a clue to what's burning but we also need to look at the velocity, density and location of the smoke vent points. Some excellent Websites have good information on "Reading Smoke" Captain Bob Rainey FDNY Engine 26 retired.
 
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There were a few news stories on this Fire...did anyone read one stating the Fire started in the trailer that pumps out the insulation ? ....I thought I saw this but not sure where it was written or if fact.
 
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There were a few news stories on this Fire...did anyone read one stating the Fire started in the trailer that pumps out the insulation ? ....I thought I saw this but not sure where it was written or if fact.
I saw the same. Not sure where I saw it at this point, but I did see it in a few different stories.
 
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