Fire crew battles 2 massive blazes over the weekend

SALISBURY, N.C. — Dozens of firefighters from multiple departments battled back-to-back fires within 24 hours in Rowan County.

The same crew from the Salisbury Fire Department was on the scene to put out the three-alarm fires in an abandoned building and a flea market.

The two infernos required dozens of firefighters.

The first blaze was on Saturday morning at a vacant building on Thermoid Way in Salisbury.

“We ‘guesstimated’ about 50 to 60 firefighters were on the scene, and we were able to let some people go, starting around two o’clock,” said Dep. Chief Terry Smith. “And we stayed out there till probably about six o’clock with all the investigation going on.”

Smith said not long after crews cleared the scene of that fire, they got called to the Webb Road Flea Market.

“They were out there the majority of the night, that same crew,” Smith said. “So very, very busy Saturday, but very busy weekend.”

The hard-working firefighters managed to take a moment in between the fires.

“Just got a rest when you can, and that’s really about all we can do,” Smith said.

It is what they train for but the crew was right back at work in the community.

Some crew members bought toys for kids in Western North Carolina who lost everything after Helene.

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