It took about two hours, between 1:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., for at least 17 New Hanover County Fire Rescue personnel to respond, put out the fire, and clear the scene. The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office and New Hanover EMS also responded.
While the large fire didn’t make the news or any college press releases, WHQR was sent pictures of the burnt trucks from an anonymous source the week following the fire. The person didn’t want WHQR to use the photos for fear of reprisal; later, the New Hanover County Fire Department shared their photos of the scene. WHQR also had to confirm insurance payments and details of the fire report.
New Hanover County Deputy Fire Marshall David Stone said that, following an investigation, he couldn’t determine the cause of the fire, but said it did originate with one of the trucks, and then spread to the other three.
Stone said these were older truck models with high mileage but that there were many possibilities where a fuse, in either an electrical or mechanical system, could have caught fire. While Stone said CFCC does have cameras on site, they were not pointing toward where the fire started. He said he believed there was no malicious intent involved.
Stone wrote in an email, “Due to the amount of damage and the lack of any outstanding recalls along with having no footage from cameras, I had no choice but to place the cause as undetermined.”
He added, unfortunately, that the trucks were parked so closely together, which didn’t help stem the fire spreading to the other vehicles.
These trucks were state-owned vehicles, so they had a state insurance policy. According to a letter from Travelers Property Casualty Company of America, an investigation into possible other parties responsible for the fire didn't turn up anything. The insurance company said further investigation of the “fire loss” is “unlikely to lead to a third party target; [CFCC] will continue to work with [its] front-line adjuster to have the loss paid.”
According to insurance documents, CFCC recovered $19,513 from the state surplus property system for two trailers and the dry van. The state also billed Travelers Insurance for $88,007 in claims on behalf of CFCC for a 2013 Freightliner Cascadia ($20,451), 2005 Freightliner tractor ($23,374), 2005 Volvo tractor ($23,282), and a 2004 International tractor ($19,898).
While it’s unclear what the actual value of each truck is, Stone wrote that the fire department determines the loss through its Blue Book value when they search the VIN numbers. He added, “I have them listed anywhere between six thousand to eight thousand per truck. The only way to find out how much they were actually insured for would be from the insurance company.”
CFCC spokesperson Christina Hallingse said the college was in the process of replacing the trucks. She did not respond to additional questions about the number, total cost, or budget code associated with the replacement. WHQR continues to welcome any additional comments or conversations about what happened or the plans to replace the trucks.
