You have probably a dozen retirement homes
or nursing homes or in the South Park here.
You have a very high concentratn
of some of these retirement nurg
homes and and folks who might have be
predisposed to to some breathing problems.
So this is going to what you see
right now is the current scene.
But make no mistake about it fos
all around here in a in a two or
three mile radius you have facilities
that are concerned about this
and concerned about the smoke.
I think one of the things
not to be concerned about,
the flames have been more or less contained.
So there's there's no flames ner
those retirement communities.
It is the amount of smoke obvio,
but staying inside is the safe thing to do.
I'm sure that they would encoure
them to do that, to stay inside.
And obviously, traffic is a
major problem in that area.
Yeah, I was just gonna say kindf
treat this like it was a Code orange,
any eliminator at that point whe
it's unhealthy for sensitive gr,
it's really unhealthy for everyone right
now because the atmosphere is completely
clouded up with everything and it's an
absolute gridlock around this a.
So that there's really nothing that you
absolutely need to do in this area at
this point because business is going to
be shut down close to because they have
to make sure everything's conta.
Because we mentioned it was a massive
fire earlier, seeing some of these flames.
But things are improving.
But still, the amount of smoke that's
being produced is exceptional.
Charlotte Fire tweeting out that
they're setting up a staging ar.
Barkley Downs in the Fairview R.
They're going to have press
conference at some point.
You know, they got to make sure
that everything else is safe,
But they're, they're actively
trying to update the media.
Larry, it strikes me that you talk about
a fire in a high rise in South .
That was not even a possibility
a few years ago.
Not this was no, several years .
Cow pastures back about 40 years old,
forty years ago, without a doubn
a few decades ago became a place
for retail in South Park. But
high rise is really only in
the last couple of decade
or so that you actually ended up
having high rises there in Sout.
The highest building in
that area was the mall.
That was it. Before that, yes.
With. With, yeah.
With the massive businesses that
are out there, the high rises,
certainly a different situation
if you drive that area.
You you are impressed with a nur
of buildings that are there,
the houses,
the condominiums that they're al
grouped together with thousands
of people making a small town.
So we're now South Park has a is
own small little skyline. You kw
what we're looking at
from some of our cameras,
whether you see some of the firefighters,
some of the emergency people right there,
they've evacuated obviously
the area where the fire was,
all those workers got out.
One thing I want to say this abt
a generator that may have been
the culprit in this situation.
A generator is fueled.
By obviously gasoline.
So that would that would accounr
the initial burst of flames that
spread rapidly through the framework,
the wooden framework of a brandw
apartment slash condominium thas
being constructed right there in
the Barclay Downs area over the.
As you as you can see some of te
firefighters up there on the on the ladder,
the flames are being actually
contained in that direction.
So we had.
A massive turn out from the
Charlotte fire department.
At least now a fight this in
is my history in Charlotte.
A5 alarm fire is so rare.
Doesn't have I cannot remember
the last time that we talked
about a 5 alarm fire.
It doesn't happen.
I can't think of 1 in recent
not in recent history at all.
So that's a massive fire. That'.
It literally is affect affected
thousands of people's lives,
those who work and live there.
This shot gives you a good idea
of where you do have some densey
populated and constructed build,
and I think it's going to be interesting
to see once some of the flames, they die,
die down and the smoke goes awa,
whether some other buildings ney
were damaged because I have this photo
that you have on your TV screen.
I also have a photo I've got
pulled up on my laptop where you
can see the building itself.
You can also see nearby buildings also under
construction that look to be damaged as well.
So folks, it could very well
be that when this is all said
and done hours from now that
you not just have one building,
but you actually end up having a
few other buildings damaged it.
I think if we're looking at onef
those bills may have been a
parking deck that's that's
real, that's very close to
the actual apartment.
So yes, you're right about that.
Then damage will be multiple
buildings damaged in this situa.
And the video that we just played was
actually tweeted out well right before
from a Charlotte fire department showing
what they were fighting those flames.
And the 7700 block of Liberty Rw
and you know, our heart just goes out
to those firefighters and all te
work that they do for our commu.
I've even seen some of the wives
of firefighters posting online
saying that as they headed here.
I mean, it has been a long time since they.
Have seen a fire this massive 5
alarm fire. I mean what we were talking
about this a moment ago quite honestly
I can't remember the last time n
Charlotte A5 alarm fire that's the kind
you see in in multiple buildingu
know sometimes in Uptown areas. We've
got Braxton Winston actually standing
by there at the same well we ham
a video of him the mayor Pro Tef
Charlotte responding there on the phone
I assume speaking to people he knows.
Not sure if we still have that,
but that gives you an idea of
all sorts of local leaders.