Yeah. One of the things in this
construction is a lot of framew,
wooden framework, so that is so flammable.
I think that you know a
new construction like that.
Oh, there it goes.
There's a framework.
You see you can see some of that
collapsing right now is this.
This is at least a three alarm .
That's a massive fire.
Avoid the South Park area.
Emergency vehicles are still going there,
getting there.
If you have to drive near there you can take,
you can take Sharon Lane
away from South Park.
You get over to Park Road and
head in those directions around.
The mall,
but I would not go to the mall h
the amount of emergency vehicles there,
the fire and the people who are in that area.
And I'm sure that many of those
homes have been evacuated nearby
because there's a lot of apartm,
condos around that area.
Ben Thompson joins us right now.
You're aware that that is
a highly populated area,
a big business here out
there at South Park Mall
for people who are vaguely
familiar with the area,
we are talking about Fairview L.
This is just across from Saint
Nordstrom within South Park,
there's a number of businesses.
In this area, doctors offices.
There's a bunch of doctors
offices in this area in addition
to other apartment buildings.
So this is like much of Charlot,
an area that is exploding in
growth and you have all sorts of
new crunch construction happeni.
In this area,
yeah, there's a job just over
there driving through there the
other day going to Carnegie Blv.
And there in that area right the
there's a big I wasn't sure where there
was an apartment complex or condominium,
but obviously that's the one
that we're talking about.
Yeah. So if if you aren't aware,
this is behind the USI building where Zoe's
kitchen was at Fairview and Barkley Downs,
this new construction site.
All these businesses in the
area have been evacuated.
I'm seeing online that one
woman's husband was in the.
Parking garage across the streed
saw someone on one of those cra.
They said he was able to get down safely.
So you just hope if this was an active
construction site that everyone was able
to get out of this area because right
now it looks like they are getting it.
It looks a little bit better
from this perspective.
But that smoke and fire
yeah that's that's a big fire to fight
right there and with and once an
with winds up about 15 to 18 miles an
hour at the surface now once you get.
A little higher up, that's or higher winds,
that's helping to fan the flame.
High winds. And you also must tk
about in a situation like this e
effort that that becomes quite
difficult for firefighters when you're
talking about a tall structure.
This is not a one or two-story building.
This is a a relatively large
structure that expands.
The number of stories there
in that neighborhood.
And so that in it of itself bris
new challenges for those firefighters
trying to get this thing under control
and it is new construction which
means you can't really get,
if you wanted to fight that from a top,
you could you're able
to get on the top of it.
You can't go inside and get to .
So they're really fighting
it from the exterior.
That's why we've seen so many of
those massive flames out there.
More than likely this building t
quite equipped with some of the stuff
that typically regular systems y
not even be installed completely yet.
So that's that's another good point to make
our Jane Monreal. All on scene as well.
So we're going to send it out to
her. Jane, tell us exactly where
you are and what you're seeing.
Sarah, Ben, Guys, we are just outside
the parking lot to Ruth's Chris
here off Fairview and Piedmont .
We just arrived here less than 5
minutes ago and the building behind me
is the one that we're talking a.
New construction
we're going to walk down.
OK, I think we we lost Jane her,
but we'll try to check in
with her in just a little bit.
You can see officials probably
trying to tell people to move b,
of course, for their safety.
But some of our phones
on our phones right now, you do.
You don't often see this. That
means this is a massive fire
which is causing a major problem
within the South Park area.
Please don't drive into that
area because right now emergency
vehicles are on the way there.
Firefighters and it.
It is imperative that people
try not to get into that area.
That. I don't know if I've ever seen this.
I've seen this for for weather I
don't know that I've ever gotte.
It says CFD is badly a
large fire in South Park.
Do not call 911 unless you have an emergency.
Great point to be made that rigt
now our first responders are taxed to
the Max responding to this righw
and there are a number I would y
that at least we saw just roughy
counting at least 20 fire truckd
more probably on the way because this.
Under control to us an extent
but still out of control because
of the massive size of the fire
and anything under construction.
Once again you've seen the framk
of all these condos and apartmes
being built that is all wood frd
that is that would ignite easild
then within that if you don't he
the obviously the sprinkler sysm
is not installed yet that could cause
they don't have the internal way to to
actually decrease the amount of flames.
So as you can see from the pictures right
there it this is still out of control.
They're trying to bring in some of the
vehicles to get up the hook and ladder
trucks your fight from the from above.
But right now still it's
hard to get a good vantage poinn
fighting something like this ane
should say this happening in South Park.
But folks this is being
seen for four miles away.
I I have folks and sources in
Uptown who who are watching this
unfold from Uptown several four
or five miles away from where ts
is actually happening. Flames
that were at least a couple 100
feet in the air earlier on.
And you can see the the firefigg
effort going on right now the te
shot fire department heavily involved
in this and once again please
avoid the South Park mall area.
These are all emergency vehicles that
are trying to get there already there
at this point we're we're happyo
say that no no reports of anyon.
Hurt and no injuries in this.
And Chris, weren't you talking earlier
about ways people can get around this?
If they need to get in the area,
how do they get around?
Because obviously they are stopping traffic.
They're evacuating the building.
If you know someone that's working in Uptown,
like Larry said, they don't want
you going anywhere near this. Y,
plain and simple. Just don't.
If there's any direction,
any plans you have for this are,
it's pretty much just complete gridlock.
Everything shut down South.
Most recent report is Fairview .
Is shut down eastbound and westbound,
that's from Park South Drive
to Piedmont Rd. Drive.
So that means if you were
planning on taking Fairview Rd.
Sharon Rd.
You're not going to be able to
take those because everything is
going to be completely blocked .
All access
to the mall, all roads leading o
the blocked off. So avoid that.
I would just take Park Rd.
Going all the way in towards
Pineville to avoid that to get
around that I'm because there's
there's no really quick detour.
So better to, like Chris
was saying better to stay.
For the mall at this point,
and you can see here when
Austin Walker was out there,
he said the top of this,
what was an apartment
building under construction,
completely collapsed, but.
It looks to me like they've maye
finally put out that huge plume of smoke.
Like Ben said,
we were seeing from Uptown and
from our view camera and for
a while there the flames were
so intense it looked like they
didn't have it under control.
But it looks like Charlotte Fire
Department has finally got this
under control a little bit.
Here
we do have to say, I mean,
even with with the house fires,
we cover you honestly.
Don't always know for perhaps hs
afterwards because there's those hot spots.
And when you have the building,
when you have the building this size,
trying to get a hold of it and w
for sure that you have got a hae
on it is going to be a herculean
task for some of these firefigh.
And that's why you still see thm
fighting it with with the water.
And you can see how adding
too. I mean some of these maters
are flammable in and of themsel.
So to say that it's under contr,
it's hard for us to say that from the desk,
right, because they're facing
some elements that we don't,
we're not even aware of because we can
only get so close with our came.
Let's send it out to Jane Montr.
She's live on the scene for us.
I believe we have her now. Jane, what can
you tell us,
Sarah? We are right across the street from
the fire here off Fairview and Piedmont Row.
We arrived here about 10 minutes
ago where the flames were pretty
furious and and and and fiery,
but that you can see that Gray smoke right
now as things are looking to dissipate,
at least in the air.
From our vantage point,
I can tell you with the.
Light wind gusts and the breeze.
There was a debris falling on u,
certainly some of the ashes and you know it
is the smoke that is also quite dangerous.
So for those who have asthma or
respiratory issues that are homr
in the office want to stay insi.
We do see a lot of spectators
here on the sidewalk right now.
I also spoke to a construction
worker who has worked on and off
this site for the past few mont.
He did say that it started seemo
have started from an insulation.
Truck.
So we're going to work on getting our
own independent confirmation on that,
but an insulation truck would
be enough fuel to burn like it
did at this construction site.
Again,
we are just watching all of the
crews here arrive on scene and
trying to gather as much informn
from witnesses as well as emergy
responders here on scene.
So we'll be here throughout the
morning covering this up until w
though it looks like at least traffic
wise things are under control.
The energy is not as panicked os
rushed as it was when we first got here,
but they are moving spectators
away from the the building itse.
They certainly moved us across e
street and fill here if you cann
over to some of the construction
workers right there on the corn.
It looks like they may have word
from that site as well. I'm als.
Talking to some people or look
watching some people that are
putting their masks on people,
some people were coughing.
So the the the smoke here is pretty intense.
It's Gray and then outside of ts
perimeter I can see some blue s.
So yeah, it's not so cloudy,
but it is Gray because of all of the smoke,
which obviously you can see for miles.