Thomasville apartment fire displaces 75 people

April 28--Chief Martin Dailey of the Thomasville Fire Department said his agency was dispatched to the fire at 6:07 a.m. The apartments, which are in a building that was formerly Community General Hospital, are at 11 Pine St.

Dailey said firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke visible and fire coming from the second-floor units. He said one apartment was fully involved in flames.

One person, later identified as Susie McCloud by family members, was injured in the fire and sustained minor injuries, Dailey said. She was transported to Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center, where she was treated and released. All of the people were evacuated.

Firefighters estimated about 75 people, including 25 children, have been displaced. Multiple fire departments and the Davidson County Fire Investigation Task Force, which includes the Davidson County Fire Marshal's Office, are on the scene assisting Rocky Watts, TFD division chief of code enforcement/fire marshal.

Dailey said Tuesday evening that the fire seems to be accidental due to an electrical issue. The fire chief believes the fire started on the first floor. It took firefighters about 30 minutes to get the fire under control. Dailey said no firefighters were injured.

Watts also said Tuesday evening that there was no foul play. He said there were several electrical appliances to overloaded extension cords that could have caused a fire in Apt. 104. Watts also hasn't ruled out an electrical issue with the baseboard heater.

Watts said he heard a smoke detector when he arrived on the scene. He confirmed there were smoke detectors and fire extinguishers on each floor of the complex. But Watts was unable to confirm if each of the smoke detectors was in working order.

The apartment complex was previously written up for emergency lights not being tested, he said, among a few other violations that fire officials were working on with the management. As he described the violations, he said some rooms were being renovated without a permit, and stairwell doors were not latching all the way.

"A building inspector and I have been out here on a complaint in the past eight to 10 months," Watts said. "Of course, we stopped the work order (on the renovated apartments). Those (apartments) were not lived in."

Investigators were executing a search warrant as a precautionary measure, Watts said. The State Bureau of Investigation was assisting the Thomasville Fire Department.

Dailey reported extensive damage to the first floor and heavy smoke damage to both the second and third floors. He said the apartment building is unlivable.

Thomasville Fire Battalion Chief Kevin Tolson said the building might be a total loss. He said there were two or three apartments that were destroyed.

The Salvation Army, across the street from the apartment complex, was assisting the residents. American Red Cross representatives were on the scene.

Maj. Mark Robbins of Davidson County Emergency Services said 33 units were occupied at the apartments. Easter Farley identified herself as the manager of the complex and a resident of The Oaks.

She lived on the first floor in Apt. 101 and believes the fire started in Apt. 104. When the fire broke out, she was in bed and was alerted to the blaze by second-floor resident Meghan Lovern, who was screaming and beating on her door.

"I got up and came to the door," Farley recalled. "When I got to the door, I heard the smoke alarm going off. ... When I opened the door, it was engulfed in smoke, couldn't see, saw an engulfing blaze down the hall from my apartment."

Further down the hall was her adult son, Scotty Adkins, who lived with his family in Apt. 109. He said he, his wife, Susie McCloud, and their 6-year-old son, Aiden, had to jump out of their apartment's window to escape the fire. Adkins opened both of the doors that have access to the hallway and saw fire after opening each one. He decided his family's only way out was through the window.

Susie McCloud sustained the injuries when she landed after jumping from the window, the husband said. Adkins said jumping from the first floor was like jumping from the second floor because there is a 20-foot drop from his window due a steep hill. After he yelled for help, Adkins said another resident, Don Alley, had to catch his son when the child went out the window.

When asked what the apartment complex would do going forward for the residents, Adkins and McCloud said they would need to seek the help from the American Red Cross. It was not immediately clear if the owner has insurance on the property.

Michael and Deborah Graham, as well as their two children, lived in Apt. 104. Michael Graham said he and his family had to exit out of a door at the rear of his family's apartment. The door was blocked by a dresser, and Michael Graham had to quickly pick it up before he and his family could exit.

"The flames were in the living room when I walked in there," Michael Graham said. He said the cause could be something related to an electrical issue around the baseboard heater.

"I'm just glad my family is safe," Deborah Graham said.

Steven Dunlap, his wife and two children lived at Apt. 105, beside of the fire. He was preparing to leave for work when he heard what he thought was fighting in the hallway. Dunlap looked out of the door, and smoke quickly came into his apartment. While they couldn't see through the hallway, they took that route to get out of the building.

"When I started to exit the building, I saw my neighbor's door engulfed in flames," Dunlap said. "Honestly, I don't know how they made it out. My family was already out of the building. I just made sure they were out before I got out."

Dunlap said he sprinted over 30 feet to exit the building. He said people were confused in the building, not knowing which way to exit.

"My whole life changed in 10 seconds," Dunlap said. "We lost everything. Being next door to the fire, we lost everything."

Dunlap broke into tears. He said his family needed any help they could obtain because they lost everything.

James Longshore, his two children and their mother lived in Apt. 107. They were sleeping when they heard someone screaming for help.

"As soon as we woke up, we could smell (the fire) instantly," Longshore said.

With the smoke and the heat in the hallway, Longshore and his family also exited through the window. They handed the children off to people outside of the building.

Ingemar Legrand lived on the third floor. He was at work for his third-shift duties at Hughes Supply. Legrand heard about the fire through someone who saw it on the television news.

"I was in the state of shock," Legrand said. "I had to hurry up and rush here. Sure enough, the place was blazing."

Mandy Shields, disaster program specialist for the Greater High Point-Davidson Chapter of the American Red Cross, said representatives were on the scene to help the residents with their road to recovery. She explained there was a partnership with the Salvation Army as the American Red Cross was hoping to meet the residents' basic needs, such as food, clothing and a place to stay. A shelter will be set up at Rich Fork Baptist Church, 3993 Old U.S. Highway 29, Thomasville, through noon Friday.

"I think everybody is grateful to get out of there safely," Shields said. "It's a terrible thing to happen."

Sgt. Les Ashby of the Salvation Army said his agency tried to make the residents as comfortable as possible. He explained the residents received blankets, coffee, donuts and hygiene products.

"There were a couple of people who didn't have any clothes at all, so we went down to Walmart and bought them some sweatpants and stuff," Ashby said.

Belfor restoration company provided Domino's Pizza at no cost to firefighters and displaced residents. The Kernersville branch of the company decided to help fulfill the need, and it wasn't a marketing move, said Brad Coots, a company spokesman.

Responding agencies were the Thomasville, Hasty, Pilot and Fair Grove fire departments, the Thomasville Police Department, Davidson County Fire Marshal's Office, SBI, N.C. Emergency Management, Davidson County Emergency Management, the Greater High Point-Davidson Chapter of the American Red Cross and Davidson County Emergency Medical Services. Among the three fire departments, there were about 50 firefighters on the scene.

Those who would like to make a donation to assist the residents can call the American Red Cross at 885-9121.

Darrick Ignasiak can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 217, or [email protected]. Follow Darrick on Twitter: @DispatchDarrick

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