Goldsboro Fire Department responded to 139 calls in May
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on June 16, 2006 1:49 PM
Three building fires and two vehicle fires were among the 139 calls that the Goldsboro Fire Department answered in May.
Two building fires and one vehicle fire were referred to police for a further investigation because of their suspicious nature, Fire Chief Bobby Greenfield said.
In the first suspicious fire, the It's Pizza Time restaurant at 2410 N. William St. was heavily damaged May 7. An engine company returning from a call to Station No. 3 on Patetown Road saw smoke coming from the building at 9:47 p.m. The restaurant, managed by Carol Warner, had closed at 9:30 p.m.
Police Investigator G.N. Lynch said the fire was still being investigated.
Federal investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms estimated damages at $200,000 to $300,000 to the building.
A day later, a shop in a two-floor building was damaged at 3205 Central Heights Road. An upstairs resident, Joe Barnes III, said he saw smoke coming from the shop as he came home. He used an extinguisher to put out the fire.
Department personnel said a water pipe in the ceiling also helped put out the fire. The pipe had developed a leak from the heat of the fire and water dripped on the fire, preventing it from becoming worse, fire officials said.
Lynch said the cause of the fire was determined to be an accident.
The building, valued at $45,000, had about $300 in damages. Contents, valued at $10,000, sustained about $300 in damages.
A lightning strike on May 5 caused a house fire at 2214 Granville Drive. A resident said he had heard a loud noise during a thunderstorm and ran to see what had happened.
Firefighters said the lightning strike had hit the top of the house, traveled through the gutters, the game room and the house and reached an outside outlet. Damages were estimated at $1,500 to the home and $100 to contents. The home was valued at $250,000, and contents were valued at $75,000.
A suspicious fire damaged a car May 13 at 518 Green Drive. The 1997 Suzuki, valued at $4,000, and the contents, valued at $250, were destroyed.
The owner and resident, Doris A. Boyette, told police that she found the car doors open and the disabled auto on fire. The cause of the fire remained under investigation. The fire also caused about $170 in damages to a nearby mobile home.
A second vehicle was destroyed in a fire that resulted from a collision May 1 in the 400 block of East Holly Street. The 1988 Chevrolet van was valued at $1,000.
During May, Greenfield said firefighters took part in at least 472 hours of company training and 1,789 hours of individual training.
Department training was held in traffic control and a simulated disaster at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. Company training was conducted in confined space rescue, radio communications, aerial truck skills, pre-fire planning, rapid intervention team operations, incident command, trench operations, forcible entry, building construction, chain saw operations and brush operations.
The department also held six fire prevention activities that were attended by 470 people in May. Children toured the fire safety house at three places, and a fire truck was displayed at three other locations.