Wayside Fire Department Ends Operations

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This is a blog version of a Facebook posting from January 1, 2025.

Effective 0800 on Tuesday, December 31, 2024, Wayside VFD officially ceased operations and Shepherds Fire-Rescue had taken over the responsibility for their response area, reported Iredell Firewire. Below is a bit of background and some history of the department, which was organized in 1969. Shown is a web site excerpt + their vintage 1989 Ford/FMC pumper-tanker.  

Background

In August, county commissioners at their meetings began discussing minimum fire response requirements and specifically regarding Wayside VFD, where issues had presented, despite the department’s efforts to meet those requirements.

The county eliminated funding for WVFD and subsequently cancelled their contract. The county also considered a few options for continuing service to the Wayside district, ranging from splitting the district between two neighboring departments, to placing county fire personnel at the Wayside fire station.

The county commenced working with Shepherds FD to absorb Wayside VFD’s facilities, staff, and equipment, as well as expanding the Shepherds Fire Insurance District to include the previous Wayside Fire Insurance District.

Source: Iredell County Commissioner meeting documents. These are a little hard to find, as there are a couple different county minutes sites out there. Here’s the secret sauce, https://iredellcounty.civicweb.net/Portal/VirtualLibrary.aspx

Search on Wayside, Shepherds, etc. to read the entire recent history.

History

Wayside VFD department was organized in 1969, by community members wanting to add more fire protection to areas covered by Cool Springs VFD. The latter was organized in 1960.

Their first apparatus purchase was a tanker with a body built by J. C. Beck Machine Shop in Welcome, NC, and mounted on a commercial chassis. The first fire station was built at 2349 Salisbury Road beside Wayside Grocery, which was adjacent to the intersection of Bethesda Road. The initial response area was set with inputs from Cool Springs VFD, Troutman VFD, Shepherds VFD, and Statesville FD.

The first chief was Ray Warren. The first apparatus was the aforementioned 1969 Ford/Beck tanker, 1000 gallons, a 1969 Ford/Howe pumper, 750/___, and a 1952 Dodge brush truck, converted from an ex-military weapons carrier.

The department and its fire district were officially established around June 1970. Over subsequent years and decades, the fire station was expanded to house additional apparatus. In 2011, construction started on a second station at 234 Bethesda Road. The department relocated to the new station in December 2011. In [goes here], a substation was opened at 1486 Ostwalt Amity Road.

Later fleet additions included a 1979 Chevy/shop brush truck, a 1989 Ford pumper, a 1989 Ford/FMC pumper-tanker, 1250/1000, a pair of 1991 EEI pumper/tankers, a 1994 GMC pumper/tanker, a 1998 American LaFrance Eagle pumper-tanker, 1500/1000, a 2004 Ford/Anchor Richey brush truck, and a 2011 _____/Pierce pumper-tanker, 1250/1000.

Read more at https://www.waysidevfd.org via Internet Archive

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Bitter Blood Shooting, Chase, and Vehicle Explosion – Guilford County – June 3, 1985

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Photo source: Summerfield Fire District posting on Facebook

Bitter Blood Shooting, Chase, and Vehicle Explosion

Guilford County, North Carolina — June 3, 1985

Chronological narrative created by ChatGPT and compiled from the Greensboro News & Record, June 4, 1985. Plus annotations by Legeros

By June 3, 1985, law-enforcement officers in North Carolina and Kentucky were seeking Frederick “Fritz” Klenner III and his first cousin, Susie Sharp Newsom Lynch, in connection with five murders. The victims were Lynch’s mother and maternal grandmother, killed in Winston-Salem in May 1984, and Klenner’s mother, sister, and young nephew, killed in Kentucky in July 1984. Investigators suspected that the two sets of murders were related to a child-custody dispute involving Lynch and her former husband.

Continue reading ‘Bitter Blood Shooting, Chase, and Vehicle Explosion – Guilford County – June 3, 1985’ »

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Emergency Landing of AirTran Airways Flight 913 in Greensboro – August 8, 2000

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Looking back at the emergency landing of AirTran Airways Flight 913 on Tuesday, August 8, 2000.

About twenty minutes after the DC-9 departed Piedmont Triad International (PTI) Airport at ~3:15 p.m., the pilot reported thick smoke in the cabin.

The captain declared an emergency and requested permission to return to the airport. The jetliner was 15 miles into the flight. There were 62 souls aboard, including five crew members.

Said one passenger later in the next day’s Winston-Salem Journal, “I could see gray smoke in the air, smoke coming from the plane’s cockpit.” The passenger was sitting three rows from the door to the cockpit. And, as the plane was heading back to the airport, “the smoke got thicker and thicker.”

Another passenger recounted in the next day’s Greensboro News and Record that she “smelled a strong odor similar to burning rubber” and also saw “thick gray smoke in the front of the airplane.”

On the plane’s intercom system, the passengers were calmly told that the plane was returning to Greensboro. But neither the pilot nor the flight attendants said what was wrong.

After the pilot announced that their flight was returning to Greensboro, the flight attendants repeatedly shouted instructions to the passengers: bend over and keep their heads down.

The plane landed at ~3:45 p.m. The passengers and crew performed an emergency evacuation using the inflatable slides.

Emergency Response Continue reading ‘Emergency Landing of AirTran Airways Flight 913 in Greensboro – August 8, 2000’ »

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Nine Killed in Car Train Collision in Charlotte, 1931

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This is a blog version of a Facebook posting on July 30, 2025.

In the wake of last week’s multi-fatality accident on I-485 that killed six people in a three-vehicle collision, let’s look back at the worst car accident in the history of the Charlotte area.

Early Saturday morning, December 26, 1931, nine people were killed when their “light touring car” was struck by a “northbound Birmingham special” at the Dowd Road crossing. Shown in the montage are the next day’s and subsequent day’s headlines in the Charlotte News, one of the city’s two newspapers at the time.

Also shown are other crashes that have occurred at the Dowd Road crossing over the decades, including another that killed five people on New Year’s Day, 1921. See those news stories in this Google Drive folder.  

Blind Crossing From Three Approaches

Reported news accounts from after the deadly collision in the wee hours of December 26, 1931, the Dowd Road crossing was a “blind crossing” from three of the four approaches to the tracks.

Continue reading ‘Nine Killed in Car Train Collision in Charlotte, 1931’ »

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Three People Killed in Charlotte Balloon Crash on October 21, 1976

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This is a blog version of a Facebook posting from September 24, 2024.

Morning history. Here’s the story of another multi-fatality hot-air balloon crash in North Carolina. See prior posting on the subject.

At 12:53 p.m. on October 21, 1976, a hot-air balloon crashed in downtown Charlotte. The two pilots and their passenger were killed. It struck high-tension power lines above Sugar Creek Park, about a mile east of the city center. The wires severed the balloon’s basket and the burning gondola dropped into the street. The deflating balloon traveled about 100 more yards before landing.

The balloon was named “Spirit of America” and was built by Dakota Industries in Sioux Falls, SD. It was red, orange, blue, and yellow, and had pictures of presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant on the side. It was built for the 1968 movie “The Great Bank Robbery” and later sold by Warner Brothers.

Continue reading ‘Three People Killed in Charlotte Balloon Crash on October 21, 1976’ »

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Two Alarms on Wyatt Brook Way

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Photo credits: Justin Fairfax (first two), Mike Legeros (remaining)

See photos | watch drone video | | watch ground video | listen to radio traffic

Two alarms were struck on Wyatt Brook Way off East Millbrook Road on Friday, August 21, 2026.

Dispatched ~4:41 p.m. for E15 E19 E9 E16 L15 L4 R16 BC5 BC1 ISO14 as a structure fire at 4823 Wyatt Brook Way.

Upgraded to working fire while units were en route, after multiple reports. Working fire dispatch added A28 BC2 DC1 INV1 at ~4:43 p.m.

Engine 15 first-arriving with fire through the roof of a three-story, end-unit townhome building.

Battalion 5 took command at ~4:47 p.m. Secondary size-up of a three-story, wood-frame, multi-family dwelling, measuring approximately 150′ by 50′, with heavy fire showing from the roof division on the Bravo side.

Continued: Units making fire attack and establishing water supply. Ladder 15 doing “all-in search.” Command in Alpha division. Headquarters, I need a second alarm.

Second alarm added E27 E21 L22 L6 SQ7 at ~4:49 p.m. Plus Rehab 12 at ~4:51 p.m.

E4 added themselves at ~4:52 p.m.

Request for a portable monitor or two-inch line for exposure protection between the two buildings. (Hand line was deployed.) Ladder 4 crew was directed to set up Ladder 15, which was raised, but did not flow. Engine 15 also prepared a deck gun but did not flow.

Additional water supply was established on the Charlie side by Engine __, but did not supply any units or lines. Total of three hydrants (?), two on Wyatt Brook Way and one on Old Wake Forest Road.

By about 4:55 p.m., the bulk of the fire had been contained. Marked under control at ~5:16 p.m.

Caused by lightning strike. From news reports, two families in two townhome units were displaced, with fire damage in one unit and water damage in second. No one was home in the fire unit, when the fire started.

Technical notes. These include “rain ops” pics at the outset, e.g. single camera plus umbrella. Limited range of motion/options. First photo about 15 minutes after dispatch.

Run Card

1st – E15 E19 E9 E16 L15 L4 R16 BC5 BC1 ISO14
WF – A28 BC2 DC1 INV1
2nd – E27 E21 L22 L6 SQ7 Rehab 12
Added E4 + Assistant Chief of Logistics
EMS – M67 EMS80 D9 

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Ocracoke Island Fireworks Truck Explosion – July 4, 2009

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This is part three of a multi-part series about fireworks incidents and disasters in North Carolina. Read others: Part 1  | Part 2 

Part 3 – Ocracoke Island Fireworks Truck Explosion – July 4, 2009

See source materials in this Google Drive folder.

On Saturday, July 4, 2009, around 8:00 a.m., a five-person crew from a South Carolina fireworks company was preparing for Ocracoke’s annual Independence Day display. They were inside and beside a box truck that was parked on the south end of the island, close to the ferry terminal and Anchorage Marina.

In preparation for the evening’s show, four workers under the direction of the Chief Pyrotechnician were preparing the fireworks by inserting electric matches into the fuses of shells inside a truck that contained 680 pounds (net explosive mass) of pyrotechnics. A small ignition event occurred and triggered a mass explosion.

One of the workers was killed instantly. The other four were airlifted from the scene to hospitals, including Pitt Memorial in Greenville and the Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill.

Incident Report, Two Days Later

On July 6, 2009, Hyde County’s board of commissioners received a special report on the explosion. The minutes recorded:

“Commissioner Ballance reported on the Ocracoke Fireworks Explosion on Saturday, July 4, stating that four victims were airlifted from the scene. Mr. Ballance commended everyone who participated in the emergency rescue, firefighting, and clean up. Ocracoke Volunteer Firemen David Warren and Tony Spencer took control of the scene and provided excellent assistance. Fire Chief Albert O’Neal and Ocracoke Firemen, Ocracoke Medical Center Staff, Hyde County EMS Paramedics and EMTs, and several vacationing doctors and nurses were among the list of volunteers recognized by Mr. Ballance.”

“Interim Emergency Services Director Jane Hodges reported that Paramedic/Fireman David Warren and Pastor Joyce Reynolds were hospitalized due to smoke inhalation. Pastor Reynolds was treated and released on Saturday. Mr. Warren was released on Sunday afternoon.”

“Ms. Hodges reported that David Warren’s forethought and quick response (after being thrown against a fire truck) saved lives.” [ Does that mean that an OVFD fire truck and personnel were already at the site, standing by? ]

“She commended the medics who assisted with the rescue; Jamie Tunnell who handled public information; Ponzer Volunteer Fire Department members Dean Armstrong and Wayne Pugh who flew in supplies to the Island; Medical Directors Charles Boyette who retrieved supplies and medications; and Mainland Paramedic Sean Burke who assisted with flying in narcotics.”

The Victims

Martez Holland, 27, suffered burns to 20 percent of his body, mainly hands, arms, and face.

Terry Holland, 51, died at the hospital. He was from Goldsboro.

Charles Kirkland Jr., 49, killed in the explosion. He was from Goldsboro.

Lisa Simmons, 41, died at the hospital. She was from Goldsboro.

Mark Hill, age 21, died at the hospital. He was from Wayne County.

Investigation Report

On August 26, 2009, the Virginian-Pilot reported on the findings of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives:

“According to the report, a driver parked the truck filled with explosives and left, leaving the five behind to set up the fireworks. The crew was pushing electric igniters into the fireworks’ “tails” in preparation for that night’s show when a small explosion led to a larger explosion, the report said.”

“The ATF report calls the explosion accidental. An investigation by the state Department of Labor is expected to conclude within four months.”

The surviving crew member gave conflicting accounts about why they were performing those actions inside the truck. He first said they were working inside the truck because the fire department had wet the ground around the truck. He later said he was uncertain why they were working inside the truck.

Then What Happened?

Ocracoke Island officials cancelled the annual display indefinitely. No fireworks displays were conducted from 2009 to 2015. The event returned in 2016, under new procedures and with the show set up at a different location.

The explosion prompted statewide legislative action. Later in 2009, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted Senate Bill 563, establishing mandatory training and permitting requirements for pyrotechnic personnel under the supervision of State Fire Marshal-licensed display operators. It became effective February 1, 2010.

Readers in pyrotechnics, code enforcement, and/or emergency management, what were some other outcomes of the incident that are still felt today?

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Drownings at Raleigh Beach

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Presenting a list of drowning victims at Raleigh Beach, a popular swimming and fishing spot on the Neuse River, on the border of Raleigh and Knightdale. 

Total 28 known drowning victims. 

1930 to 1969

2 victims – 1930-07-22 – Two teenagers drowned during an outing with a larger group. The girl, 16, had waded into waist-deep water and started screaming for help. The boy, 18, entered the “swift currents” to rescue her. But she “clutched him so frantically” that both drowned before others could reach them. [N&O, 7/23/30]

1 victim – 1933-09-09 – Teenage girl, 18, drowned after stepping into a deep hole while wading just below the dam. Her body was recovered five hours later. [N&O, 9/10/33]

1 victim – 1950-08-27 – Man, 46, drowned while swimming in the river near the railroad trestle, after suffering cramps while swimming. [N&O, 8/28/50]

1 victim – 1952-09-01 – Man drowned after a fishing boat capsized about two miles upstream from Milburnie Dam. The victim’s two companions were able to reach the shore. The victim was recovered one week later, about 75 feet above the dam. [MJL] [N&O, 9/9/52]

1 victim – 1954-07-03 – Man, 47, drowned while trying to free a snagged fishing hook of another person, about 5:30 p.m. Raleigh Rescue recovered the body within five minutes of arriving, but artificial respiration was unsuccessful because the victim had been in the water for about 35 minutes. Was the eighth drowning of the year in Wake County. [MJL] [N&O, 7/4/54]

1 victim – 1963-07-07 – Boy, 6, drowned while swimming at the base of the dam, and after two others were rescued from the river’s strong currents. Occurred on a Sunday afternoon. [MJL] [N&O, 7/8/63]

1 victim – 1964-04-29 – Man, 38, drowned while swimming with a companion at the dam about 10:35 a.m. His body was recovered at 2:45 p.m., more than 100 yards downstream. [MJL] [N&O, 4/30/64]

1970 to 1999

1 victim – 1970-05-18 – Girl, 12, drowned after falling into the river below the dam about 7:30 p.m. At the time of the incident, the river was too swift to launch a boat, and rescue operations were postponed until the morning. [MJL] [N&O, 5/19/70, 5/20/70]

1 victim – 1970-09-05 – Man, 31, while fishing at Raleigh Beach near the old dam. He was apparently trying to cross the water behind the dam when he fell into a deep hole about 4:45 p.m. [MJL] [N&O, 9/6/70]

2 victims – 1973-07-01 – Two men, 24 and 25, drowned after riding a makeshift raft created from three inflated truck tire inner tubes upstream from the dam. They were caught in the current and swept under the falls. Their companion was rescued, climbing to a tree limb. The accident occurred on a Sunday night. Subsequent search attempts were impacted, because the current was too strong on the rain-swollen river to enable rescue boats to be deployed. One body was recovered two days later, near the dam. The second body was recovered at the Highway 64 bridge, on the third morning after the accident. [MJL] [N&O, 7/2/73, 7/3/73, 7/5/73]

1 victim – 1973-08-15 – Man, 40, drowned in the river below the dam about 8:30 p.m. Witnesses said he had been fishing and decided to “take a little swim.” His body was recovered about 11:00 a.m. the next day. [MJL] [N&O, 8/16/73]

1 victim – 1973-08-?? – Man, 19, drowned after he and two others were swimming in the water above the dam, and he and a second youth were caught in strong currents and pulled over the dam. During the subsequent dragging operations the following day, one of the rescue boats overturned and a second rescue boat almost overturned. The rescuers were pulled from the water safely. [MJL] [WW, 8/9/73]

1 victim – 1977-05-14 – Man, 24, drowned after diving into the water at Raleigh Beach, about 6:00 p.m. Seven rescue boats searched the waters until dark. The next morning his body was recovered about 10:30 a.m.. [MJL] [N&O, 5/16/77, GLF, 5/19/77]

1 victim – 1979-05-17 – Man, 20, drowned after he and a friend were swept off a ledge below the dam, while setting out a fishing net in water about waist deep. [AP/Sentinel, 5/18/79]

1 victim – 1987-06-21 – Adult woman drowned, after her two children who were playing on the beach walked off a steep slope and into water over their heads. Bystanders pulled the children to safety, but their mother drowned trying to save them. [N&O, 6/23/87]

2000 to 2026

2 victims – 2008-07-09 – Two young men drowned at the dam, each 21 years old. They and a third person had gone swimming about 2:00 a.m. The victims had been drinking. [N&O, 7/10/08]

2 victims – 2012-07-16 – Two children who were cousins drowned at the dam, ages seven (boy) and ten (girl). They were fishing with family members when they entered the water and were pulled under by strong current. They were recovered about 20 yards downstream. [N&O, 7/17/12]

1 victim – 2024-05-22 – Man in his 20s drowned near the Neuse River Greenway Trail/Loch Raven Parkway. [CBS17, 6/9/24]

1 victim – 2024-06-08 – Man drowned while swimming with family; went under and never resurfaced. Was reported about 4:00 p.m. and his body was recovered about 8:50 p.m. [WRAL, 6/10/24]

1 victim – 2024-07-21 – Man, 32, drowned at Raleigh Beach; recovered after a two-hour search. [WRAL, 7/23/24]

1 victim – 2024-07-23 – Man, 59, drowned near Raleigh Beach; recovered after a 10-hour search. City subsequently closed vehicle access to the parking lot. Second death in three days. [WRAL, 7/25/24]

1 victim – 2025-06-14 – Man, 39, drowned at Raleigh Beach about 4:30 p.m.; recovered after about a two hour search. [ABC11, 6/15/25]

1 victim – 2026-07-08 – Girl, 12, was swimming and went underwater about 11:30 a.m. and did not surface. She was pulled from the water and died at the hospital. [ABC11, 7/8/26]

1 victim – 2026-08-03 – Body of a man was discovered near Raleigh Beach. Officials had opened a death investigation. [WRAL, 8/3/26]

Abbreviations

GLF – Gold Leaf Farmer

MJL – Legeros research on Drownings in Wake County – 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, https://legeros.com/blog/rescue-squads-drownings

N&O – News and Observer

WW – Wake Weekly

Sources

See news clippings in this Google Drive folder, which includes articles about other Wake County drownings.

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Wanted – Lists of Fire Alarm Box Locations

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Got alarm box lists? Been meaning to build this, repository of alarm box listings from around North Carolina. Here’s our starter collection. Drop a line, send a message, will take anything/everything. No hurry. Thanks in advance.

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