On a Monday morning in late December 1998, Raleigh firefighters faced a blaze that gripped the Quail Corners Shopping Center, as smoke billowed from the 5003 Falls of Neuse Road complex. It was a significant event, one that summoned a multi-alarm response from the Raleigh Fire Department. The Raleigh Professional Fire Fighters Association recounts the incident, noting the first units were dispatched at 10:25 a.m., with Engine 15 leading the charge.
As firefighters worked tirelessly, the fire quickly escalated, punching through the roofing material, necessitating additional alarms and resources, including Raleigh’s first mobile air unit, an extended panel van named SR5. Despite the blaze taking two hours to control, Assistant Fire Chief Earl Fowler said, "it started in the second-floor storage area of Eckerd Drugs." Full of recently delivered holiday items, the room quickly became an inferno. Although parts of the roof caved in around them, firewalls between stores were the day's unsung hero, curbing the fire's spread. Directly affected by the smoke seeping into compartments, several stores were indirectly scarred by the event, as per the Raleigh Professional Fire Fighters Association.
The retrospective post by the firefighters' association serves not only as a historical account but also as a nod to the evolving practices and designations within the fire service over time. Back in 1998, what the department now refers to as Battalion Chiefs were then called District Chiefs, designated as Car 51, Car 52, and Car 53. Furthermore, ladder companies were referred to as truck companies—a small but significant change in terminology reflective of the department's growth and adaptation.
Preserving this slice of Raleigh's firefighting history, Lee Wilson captured the aftermath once the flames were subdued. In his photograph, shared by the firefighters' association, stands Assistant Fire Chief Earl Fowler, coolly recognizable amidst the charred backdrop of Quail Corners, his shirt and tie serving as a stark contrast to the destruction surrounding him. The image stands as a visual testament to the day’s events and the skill and bravery demonstrated by Raleigh's firefighters. The inclusion of such details as the deployment of SR5, now a piece of the department's storied past, enriches the tapestry of the fire service's chronicles.
In a testament to the department’s readiness, the run card listed the extensive line-up of units and officials that coalesced in their response: 1st: T15, E15, E9, R6, C51, T11. 2nd: E11, E19, T16, SR5, C53, C198, C12, C1, C2, C3, C4. 3rd: E16, E13, T8. S/C E5, E10, E2, T1. S/C E1, E8, E7.
