CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Friday, June 23 the Charlotte Fire Department was presented with a commendation for their actions in response to a fire at a construction site in South Park on May 18. Members of the Mecklenburg delegation of the North Carolina General Assembly presented the commendation at the Charlotte Fire Headquarters Friday morning.
Fire Chief Reginald Johnson and four of the crews who responded to the active emergency incident accepted the commendation on behalf of the women and men who are members of the Charlotte Fire Department.
A portion of the commendation shared in a press release from the Charlotte Fire Department reads, “...the Charlotte community and the entire State of North Carolina are grateful for the heroism and selflessness of the Charlotte Fire Department.”
The fire started on a construction site, and Charlotte Fire Department arrived at the scene on Liberty Row Drive four minutes and six seconds after receiving a call about a fire at 9:02 a.m.
WCNC Charlotte obtained a recording of the 911 call that alerted the Charlotte Fire Department to the incident. It was made by an individual who was inside the construction site.
The construction crew was in the process of evacuating the building and was told to continue to stay out of it while the caller was on the phone with Charlotte Fire Alarm.
There were 15 people trapped in the building when firefighters arrived. Unfortunately, construction crew members Demonte Sherril and Ruben Holmes lost their lives in the fire.