No injuries, no damage to other buildings; fire under control at Raleigh Convention Center
SOON AS WE GET THE DETAILS ON
THE BACK INSIDE TO YOU. ALL
RIGHT. THANK YOU, ERIC.
>> IT'S NOT LIKE THIS WHERE
VIEWER VIDEOS REALLY HELP US
TELL THE STORY OF WHAT'S GOING
ON DOWNTOWN FRENCH WRITERS IN
THE LIVE CENTER. BRIAN, YOU
HAVE SOME NEW VIEWER VIDEO I
DO IN D. LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT
THAT RIGHT NOW FROM THAT.
THAT IS ATTACHED TO THIS.
IF WE COULD TAKE THAT VIDEO
RIGHT NOW, HOLD ON JUST A
SECOND. JULIA, ARE YOU THERE?
CAN I CAN I TALK WITH YOU ON
THE AIR RIGHT NOW?
OKAY. ALL RIGHT. HANG ON JUST A
SECOND. YOU GOT JULIA MILSTEAD
CITY OF RALEIGH SPOKESPERSON.
JULIE, A BUSY NIGHT FOR YOU
TONIGHT. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US
ABOUT THE VIDEO THAT WE'RE
SEEING RIGHT NOW? WHAT HAPPENED
AT THE CONVENTION CENTER?
>> WELL, IT HAS BEEN A BUSY
DAY, BUT THANKFULLY THE GOOD
NEWS IS THAT NO ONE WAS HURT.
THERE WERE NO EVENTS GOING ON
AT THE CONVENTION CENTER AND
THE FIRE I'M TOLD, IS OUT.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE
SEEING. I'M NOT LOOKING AT THE
SCREEN RIGHT NOW. I WAS TOLD BY
THE FIRE SHE IS THAT IT IS
CONTAINED AND PUT OUT.
THANKFULLY NO INTERIOR DAMAGE
TO THE CONVENTION CENTER.
THIS IS I DAMAGE MOSTLY TO THE
ROOF. THE CAUSE IS UNDER
INVESTIGATION RIGHT NOW.
IF THEY DO SAY THAT IT WAS A
NATURAL GAS INCIDENT. SO
SOMETHING TO DO WITH NATIONAL
GAS LINE. THE GAS HAS BEEN SHUT
OFF TO THE BUILDING AND AGAIN,
THERE WORKING TO DETERMINE WHAT
CAUSED THIS FIRE AND LOOKING
RIGHT NOW TO FIGURE OUT HOW
MUCH DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE
BRIDGE.
>> THE BIG STORY OF THE BIG
HEADLINE FROM WHAT YOU WERE
JUST SAYING. NO INTERIOR DAMAGE
TO THE RALEIGH CONVENTION
CENTER.
>> NEW INTERIOR DAMAGE. NOBODY
HURT ANY IDEA ABOUT HOW THIS
MAY AFFECT.
>> THINGS THAT ARE SCHEDULED AT
THE CONVENTION CENTER IN THE
COMING DAYS AND WEEKS. THAT'S
A GOOD IDEA. I JUST GOT THE
TALENT TO DIRECTOR OF THE
CONVENTION CENTER AND THEY'RE
TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT RIGHT
NOW. THEY'VE GOT SOMEBODY DOWN
THERE. THEY ARE MAKING CALLS.
SO WHEN, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A
BUSY TIME OF YEAR. SO THEY'RE
JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE
EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE ON THE
ROOF.
THE IMPACT OF THE BUILDING.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, YOU KNOW,
WITH THE GAS LINE AND THEY'LL
BE WORKING WITH AND, YOU KNOW,
THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE EVENTS
SCHEDULED THERE AND TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT WHAT WHAT'S NEXT.
>> AND YOU SAID TO YOU EARLIER,
YOU TOLD US SECURITY WAS IN THE
BUILDING, BUT THEY WERE ABLE TO
GET OUT SAFELY.
>> YEAH, AND I DON'T KNOW
EXACTLY HOW MANY, BUT THERE
WERE A COUPLE OF SECURITY
OFFICERS INSIDE THE BUILDING
AND THEY WERE ABLE TO GET OUT
QUICKLY AND THANKFULLY NOBODY
WAS HURT AT ALL. AND THAT'S THE
BEST NEWS THAT WE COULD
POSSIBLY HAVE.
>> AS WE AS WE WERE LOOKING
AT VIDEO OF THE FIRE CREWS
RESPONDING, THEY'RE REALLY AT
THE HEIGHT OF ALL OF THIS.
AND OF COURSE, A SALISBURY
STREET AND MCDOWELL STREET,
ALL OF THOSE STREETS WERE
BLOCKED. I ASSUME THAT IT'S
SAFE TO ASSUME THAT IT'S GOING
TO BE BLOCKED FOR QUITE A WHILE
DOWN THERE.
>> I WOULD ASSUME SO AT LEAST
FOR FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF
HOURS. YOU KNOW, WE HAD FIRE
STATION NUMBER ONE, WHICH IS
RIGHT DOWN. CAN YOUR NASH
SQUARE. THEY WERE THE FIRST
TO RESPOND. AND THEN THERE WERE
2 OTHERS THAT RESPONDENTS WE
HAD ABOUT 50 FIREFIGHTERS ON
SCENE ALONG WITH A REALLY
POLICE OFFICERS DIRECTING
TRAFFIC. SO THEY'LL PROBABLY
GET DOWN THERE FOR A WHILE.
SO FOLKS WILL WANT TO AVOID
THAT AREA.
>> AND THE SHIMMER WALL IS
STILL SHIMMERING. I I HAD A
FRIEND TO TEXT HIM AND SAID
SERIOUSLY, IF SOMETHING
HAPPENED TO THAT BABY, REALLY
BUMMED OUT BECAUSE OF THE
SECOND. AND AS IT IS SUCH AN
ICON, SUCH A LANDMARK IN
DOWNTOWN RALEIGH. YES, YES,
GERALD OWENS IS IN THE OTHER
STATE AND HE WANTS TO ASK THE
QUESTION. I HAVE TO RELATE TO
YOU. HANG ON JUST A SECOND,
JULIAN. YEAH, AS JULIE, I'M
PRETTY SURE SHE WAS WITH US IN
2017. WE WERE COVERING THAT
MASSIVE FIRE. AND WITH THAT
APARTMENT BUILDING.
>> I WANT TO SEE REMEMBER ABOUT
THAT. I'M SURE THIS BRINGS BACK
MEMORIES OF THAT FOR JULIE,
WE'VE BEEN TALKING IN HERE
TONIGHT ABOUT HOW THIS IS SO
REMINISCENT OF THE METRO
APARTMENT, THE METROPOLITAN
APARTMENT FIRE IN DOWNTOWN
RALEIGH BACK IN 2017 CAN
COMPARE THAT BECAUSE YOU ARE
HERE COVERING IT WITH WHAT
HAPPENED TONIGHT. I DON'T THINK
YOU CAN COMPARE IT TO THE 2017
FIRE WAS.
>> BUT THE WORST FIRE IN 100
YEARS. AND THAT WENT ON FOR
HOURS AND HOURS AND THERE WAS
GLASS SHATTERED ALL OVER THE
STREETS. AND YEAH, I GOT CALLED
OUT TO THEM TO COVER THAT.
YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS NO
COMPARISON. THIS WAS OUT WITHIN
LIKE 30 TO 45 MINUTE. YEAH.
AND WE WERE ALSO TALKING ABOUT
WHEN THAT APARTMENT FIRE WHICH
WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT THE
TIME FOR THOSE WHO ARE NEW TO
THE AREA, IT WAS SOMETHING THAT
YOU COULD SEE FOR MILES AROUND
DOWNTOWN RALEIGH, A HUGE, HUGE
FIRE.
>> DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS ACROSS
THE STREET. IT WAS AN ENORMOUS
MESS IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH.