Breaking News: Charlotte Fire Department After Action Report Cites Lack of Resources, Confusion During Response to Southpark Fire That Killed Two Workers in May 2023

Charlotte, North Carolina — October 7, 2024 — According to Queen City News, new details are emerging after the Charlotte Fire Department released an After Action report in connection with the five-alarm SouthPark fire that killed two men in May 2023.

The construction project at 7741 Liberty Row Drive, which went up in flames on May 18, 2023, was supposed to be an apartment complex with two concrete floors below five wooden residential floors.

Investigators believe the blaze started in a spray foam insulation trailer on one of the concrete floors. According to the report, which was released on October 7, 2024, 911 was called seven minutes after the fire was spotted. Fire crews got to the blaze five minutes later.

During that time, the fire doubled in size every 90 seconds, growing faster than Charlotte Fire’s incident command could manage.

“There was an open elevator shaft leading up to the top floor, and we call that a vertical lumber yard,” said Fire Chief Reginald Johnson.

The report states that firefighters were told two workers were missing on the fourth floor. The missing men were on the sixth floor, the fourth residential floor. Firefighters went to the fourth floor, the second residential floor, to find the men, but the crew had to turn back due to the intensity of the fire and narrowly avoided becoming trapped themselves.

Officials say it was then discovered that the missing workers were on the sixth floor, and a different fire crew was approved to rescue them. Due to the location of the fire in the building, two men could not go down the stairs, and fire department ladders could not reach the upper floors of the highrise.

According to authorities, this second fire crew used the construction scaffolding to reach the sixth floor. This crew got close enough to hear one of the men yell, ‘Help me,’ but this team was forced to retreat. Running low on oxygen, the fire blocked their exit. They were forced to call Mayday, but several attempts to escape were thwarted. This crew was eventually able to get out safely.

“We had too many close calls on this incident on this fire, to where we could’ve lost up to four, six firefighters trying to attempt there,” Chief Jonson recalled.

Sadly, the two trapped workers, Demonte Sherrill and Ruben Holmes, died in the blaze. Their families would later file a wrongful death lawsuit against the project’s development and construction companies.

In total, 15 people, including a crane operator struck above the fire, were rescued by firefighters. The blaze reached up to 2,000 degrees, and the 1,000 gallons per minute master streams proved ineffective. The football field sized building was reduced to rubble.

At the time of the fire, officials say there were no fire suppression systems installed and there was an open elevator shaft that allowed flames to quickly jump from floor to floor. The lack of emergency water systems also hampered fire crews on the upper floors.

Fire officials say the delay in calling 911, the lack of fire suppression, and too much chatter on radios were key issues. In addition, a need for stronger operation management and better equipment was highlighted.

Chief Johnson refuted reports that the building had been inspected before the fire: “We were not called to come to do an inspection. And the reality is we were never notified that vertical construction had even started in that building.”

Since the six-hour firefight, the NC Department of Labor has cited three of the contractors for safety violations. The state has also changed building codes, which are expected to be implemented in January 2025.

Charlotte Fire says it has added 12 new fire inspection staff and created a new inspection team. Additional training is taking place to better equip crews for these types of incidents.

Our thoughts are with the friends, family, and loved ones of those who lost their lives.

The Ramsay Law Firm has attorneys who are Board Certified in Workers’ Compensation claims to help individuals with severe injuries and death claims.

A Voice For The Injured. Here Every Step of The Way. Call 704-376-1616 or contact us online.

Notes: Our team created this post using secondary sources and has not independently verified all the facts surrounding the accident. If you find any incorrect details, please contact the Ramsay Law Firm so we can update the post with the most accurate information. This post will be removed if requested.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this post is not intended to be legal or medical advice and is not a solicitation for business. The photograph used in this post is not representative of this accident. If you are injured in an accident, seek medical attention immediately, then speak to a North Carolina personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.