By Rebecca Clark
The Shelby Star, N.C.
SHELBY, N.C. — Thirty years ago, local headlines read of catastrophe and stories and photos showed the carnage after a May 25, 1979 fire burned a block of buildings on the corner of Warren and Lafayette streets to the ground and took the lives of five men.
Monday evening, area firefighters and the public turned out for a memorial service to honor and remember the firefighters who lost their lives in the blaze.
Dewey Cook, Cleveland County Fire Marshal, said he was on standby that night at Casar Volunteer Fire Department.
He said he could see the dark column of smoke 20 miles away.
“Bad memories,” said Bobby Jones, who responded to the fire that night and was the driver for Fire Truck 24.
“We were pumping the truck and all of a sudden we hear a low rumble and then a loud boom. When we looked up, bricks were raining down,” he said.
The truck was crushed under the weight of the bricks.
Jones said they ran across the street.
“We collected our thoughts for a moment,” he said. “Then we ran back across the street, shut the truck down and called for more help.”
Diane Davis, whose husband William was called to the fire, said she remembers that night like it was yesterday.
“This whole block was gone,” she said. “There was glass all up and down the sidewalk along the bank. I remember crunching on glass.”
Firefighters worked all night to subdue the flames and it wasn’t until early morning that the fire was out, and the men discovered that they had lost four firemen and one gas worker in the blaze.
“We didn’t know until later that we had lost anybody,” Jones said. “It was a tough night. I remember sitting down on the tailgate of the truck and crying my eyes out.”
During the service, Firefighters Association President Kevin Gordon, performed the ringing of the last alarm; peals from the silver bell rang out loud in the stillness of the memorial.
The legacy and memory of the men whose lives went out with the fire will forever be preserved, now that their names have been inscribed on bricks along the Walk of Honor, part of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Foundation.
May 25, 1979, fire that killed five
The victims: Shelby firefighters Nathan Hall, George Magness, Gene Melton and Floyd “Nick” Sharts and Shelby utilities employee Max Bowling
Since last year’s service, the following firefighters have died:
G.T. McSwain, Boiling Springs City Fire Department Founder and former Chief
Robert Y. Hamrick, Boiling Springs City Fire Department Founder and former Chief
Roy Dean White, Casar Volunteer Fire Department
Joe Goforth, Cleveland Volunteer Fire Department Board of Directors
Robert E. Smith, Cleveland Volunteer Fire Department former Chief and Board of Directors
Hill Dameron, Fallston Community Volunteer Fire Department
Harold Benfield, Lawndale Fire Department
James H. Hull, Shelby City Fire Department
Copyright 2009 The Star