By Robert Jordan
Dunn Daily Record
ROSEBORO – A late night fire in the vehicle bay of the Sampson Emergency Medical Services in Roseboro destroyed a rescue truck and heavily damaged the entire building.
EMS personnel were away from the building on a call when a passing motorist discovered the blaze around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday and called 911.
The Sampson County 911 Communications Center dispatched Roseboro firefighters to the building located at 400 E. Howard St. at the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Roseboro Fire Chief Lee Coleman was the first to arrive on the scene where he discovered the rescue squad’s crash truck with flames coming out of the engine compartment.
Firefighters arrived soon after the chief and commenced fire suppression activities.
“EMS personnel had been dispatched to a call for help and minutes after they left the building, smoke could be seen coming from the engine compartment of the rescue truck,” Coleman said. He was explaining what investigators were able to learn while viewing the security video from the damaged building.
An official with the Sampson County Fire Marshal’s Office investigated the fire. Due to the damage from heat, fire and heavy smoke, the building is deemed unusable in its present condition.
The personnel assigned to this building and their vehicles and equipment with have to be moved to another location while the EMS building is repaired.
Coleman told the Record there were no injuries during the incident.
