History

1956, organized.  Incorporated as Wake New Hope Volunteer Fire Department, Incorporated.  (September 11, 1956)^sos

1956, first fire station is "L" shaped building at corner of Louisburg and New Hope roads, with loaned / rented garage pay on New Hope Road side.  First fire truck is stored there ^oh

1958, Harold V. Glover is Fire Chief ^cfd

1958 (?), new fire station constructed at 4615 New Hope Road.  Three-bay building with blackboard and entrance to right of bays. ^oh

1959, fire department given $1,000 check by manager of Westinghouse Meter Plant.  Though plant contracts with Raleigh for fire protection, approximately 100 employees live in New Hope area. (March 10, 1959) ^rt10mar59

1960, B. G. Montague is Fire Chief (May 7, 1960)^wcfa

1962, apparatus delivery:  1962 GMC / American LaFrance pumper, 750 GPM, 400 gallons.  Cost $16,289.  Other apparatus consists of 1950s GMC 500 GPM pumper and two tankers.  (July 1962) ^rt14jul62

1962, water tank installed on station property.  Capacity 15,303 gallons. (Summer 1962) ^rt14jul62

1963, Cabin at Southward Motor Court on US 1 north of Gresham's Lake destroyed by fire.  Firefighters save two adjoining cabins.  Passing motorist sees fire and notifies motel owner.  Four trucks and 20 firefighters respond and battle the early-morning blaze in 26-degree temperatures. (November 15, 1963) ^rt15nov63

1965, Beacon Drive-In restaurant on Highway 64 burns. Kitchen and stockroom are damaged by 4 a.m. fire.  Losses estimated at $50,000 or more. (December 14, 1965) ^no15dec65

1960's, apparatus deliveries:

• 1965 Chevy / American pumper
• 1968 Chevy tanker, 1250 gallons^wcfa

1972, Beacon Restaurant on US 64 near the Beltline destroyed by fire. Four-hour fire causes estimated $75,000 damage.  Building is described as a total loss.  Fire believed started from either the deep-fat fryer or the furnace, both located in the kitchen area. (May 28, 1972) ^no

1972, Fire Chief is Walter A. King (May 28, 1972) ^no

1975, Plantation Inn burns.  Fire is discovered about 11:00 a.m. by employee who sees smoke coming out of vents in attic wall.  Wake Forest and Six Forks fire departments are called as precaution.  Fire is quickly extinguished.  Damage to attic, wiring, and furnace is extensive, though only smoke and water damage results to first floor dining room and kitchen (October 23, 1975) ^no23oct75

1979, Tanker filled with liquid asphalt explodes at Rea Construction Company on Nichols Road. No one is injured by 4:30 p.m. blast, started by spark from nearby vehicle.  Two employees are working near tanker when asphalt ignites and run to safety. Fire is brought under control within 30 minutes. (October 17, 1979) ^no18oct79

1970's, fire station improvement: three apparatus bays added ^oh

1970's, apparatus deliveries:

• 1971 Bean pumper, 750 GPM, 500 gallons
• 1974 Chevy ambulance
• 1977 GMC tanker, 1500 gallons^wcfa
• 1979 Ford / Atlas mini-pumper

1980, Weyerhaeuser Resource Recovery Plant located on Raleigh's landfill property off New Bern Avenue burns. Eighteen acres of woodland also destroyed.  Fire starts at 9:30 a.m. and burns into night. Nearly every fire department in Wake County responds as mutual aid.  Fire is fueled by 2,000 tons of baled cardboard and paper stored inside and around the main building.  Fire is brought under control by 1 p.m., but flames continue leaping into air at 8 p.m.  Fire is so intense that it ignites trash in several dumpsters 30 yards from the flames and melts a Southern Railway freight car and four truck trailers near the building.  Due to lack of fire hydrants, water shuttling is performed between scene and Tower Shopping Center about a mile-and-a-half away. Pieces of flaming cardboard are blown distances of up to a half mile from the site, igniting six separate fires in surrounding woods.  A propane tank near the main building is threatened and kept cool by firefighters.  By 2:45 p.m., city crews have laid out an irrigating system of hoses and sprinklers around the plant to continually wet down the smoldering bales.  ^no23apr90 A total of 47 hours of firefighting is performed with continuous flow of 800 GPM and no accidents.  Over 890 gallons of fuel used and $900-1000 in food and drinks. Total water flowed: 1, 238,000 gallons. Most serious fire damage done in first 30 minutes. (April 21, 1980) ^wcfar

1980, upper floors of Plantation Inn main building burn. Ten departments respond. Damage estimated at $300,000. Fire begins shortly before 10 p.m. New Hope in charge. Others on scene: Wake Forest, Rolesville, Stony Hill, Bayleaf, Falls, Knightdale, Wendell, Fairgrounds, and two units from Raleigh (September 6, 1980)

1981, Countrywood Village Apartments at 5127 New Hope Road burn.  Smoke is smelled about 9 a.m. from fire that may have started from faulty wiring.  Twenty-two residents are forced out of twelve apartments.  Damage estimated at $270,000 (November 24, 1981)

1982-83, false call at Plantation Inn results in criminal prosecution, the first (or one of the first) for Wake County^oh

1985, fire department purchases and installs Eagle air compressor system.  Has 5,000 PSI storage tanks.  Cost $12,458.02, paid in full at time of delivery and subsequently reimbursed by County with agreement that fire department provides housing, availability, and service to all fire departments on full-time basis. (April-May, 1985) ^wcfar

1987, Neuse Baptist Church on US 1 burns. Fire is reported at 4:03 a.m. by commuter driving past church.  Seeing 15 foot flames shooting through the roof, the arriving Fire Chief calls for second and third alarms to Wake Forest and Falls fire departments.  Six Forks Fire Department also responds with air truck. More than 40 firefighters fight blaze, extinguishing same in less than ten minutes.  Fire caused by midnight welding job. (June 12, 1987) ^no13jun87

1988, fire station #2 completed at 4909 Watkins Rd ^wcrer

1980's, fire station improvement:  two more apparatus bays added, each two-vehicle deep ^oh

1980's, later fire station improvement: original three bays transformed into office and meeting space ^oh

1980's, apparatus deliveries:

• 1980 Ford / FMC pumper
• M-1 Mule brush unit
• 1989 Mack CF / EEI pumper tanker

1991, dive team placed in service.  Available for County-wide emergencies (July 14, 1989) ^wcfar

1990's, apparatus deliveries:

• Chevrolet Z-71, placed in service as Truck 1
• 1998 Chevy 2500 Suburban, placed in service as Truck 2
• 1990s Chevy Tahoe, placed in service as Chief's Car
• 1994 International / S&S service truck, placed in service as Truck 14
• 1993 International / S&S tanker, placed in service as Tanker 10
• 1994 International / S&S tanker, placed in service as Tanker 11
• 1995 Spartan Gladiator / S&S pumper / tanker, placed in service as Engine 2
• 1997 Spartan Gladiator  / S&S pumper / tanker, placed in service as Engine 8

2000 Ford F-550 light rescue, placed in service as Truck 6

2002, fire station improvement: administrative space added to Station #2 (summer-fall, 2002) ^oh

See Wake County apparatus register.

• ^cfd Cary Fire Department records
• ^oh Oral history
• ^no News and Observer, May 30, 1972
• ^sos NC Department of the Secretary of State
• ^wcfa Wake County Firemen's Association records

Last updated: June 10, 2004

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Copyright 2008 by Michael J. Legeros