Goldsboro firefighters answered 171 emergency calls in January
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on February 14, 2006 1:45 PM
Three structure fires and a car fire in January resulted in more than $110,000 in damages, Goldsboro Fire Chief Bobby Greenfield said.
The four fires were among the 171 calls that the Goldsboro Fire Department answered during the month.
A Jan. 22 fire at a home at 915 E. Elm St. caused the most damage -- $60,000 to the home and $25,000 to the contents. Fire officials believed that the fire had started in a bedroom.
The exact cause could not be determined, but the owner and resident, Vincent Weeks, told firefighters that he had left a small television on the bed. He said he had gone to the bathroom and when he left, he saw the bedroom on fire.
The home was valued at $70,000, and contents were worth $30,000, the report said.
Firefighters needed more than two hours to put out the fire, investigate the cause and finish salvage work.
A mobile home fire on Jan. 31 at 212 E. New Hope Road was turned over to police for a further investigation after fire officials could not pinpoint a cause. Police Investigator G.N. Lynch said Monday that the cause and origin of the fire could not be determined.
Neighbors said they had heard an explosion just before the fire was reported. The resident, Wilbur Dean Lofton, was not home but arrived before the Fire Department left.
The rental home, owned by Richard Gray and valued at $9,000, and the contents, worth $5,000, were destroyed.
Firefighters also responded Jan. 31 to a house fire at 200 Maplewood Drive and determined that unattended cooking was the cause.
Damage was estimated at $300 to the home and $2,000 to the contents. The home was valued at $225,000, and contents were worth $70,000.
Car fire
A driver stopped his car Jan. 27 at the Outback Steakhouse restaurant at 2617 North Park Drive and noticed that it was smoking as he placed his order.
The driver then moved the car away from other parked vehicles and the restaurant. As he got out, he saw flames under the hood. Firefighters were called and quickly put out the fire. The 1996 Saab, valued at $9,000, was destroyed.
Training
Greenfield said Fire Department personnel took part in at least 489 hours of company training and 1,759 hours of individual training in January.Training was held in department organization, pump skills, pump operations, sprinkler connections, company drills, confined space rescue standard operating guidelines, aerial truck skills, hose lays, ladder operations, tool familiarization, salvage covers, search, ropes and snorkel skills.