Update: Officials say the fire is now contained, with crews working on a few hotspots. The building is considered to be a loss. This is a developing story and will be updated with more information if and when it becomes available.
Dozens of first responders, including members of Wilmington's fire and police departments, as well as units from New Hanover County and Leland, were on scene on South Third Street as a fire raged at the historic Graystone Inn. Flames could be seen through the front entrance, with heavy smoke coming through the top floor's windows and from under the eaves.
According to fire department officials, there were no reported injuries. According to the Wilmington Fire Department, the fire appeared to start in the basement and later engulfed the upper floors, but no official cause of the fire has been determined yet.
The Wilmington Fire Department requested that power be turned off in the area while they combatted the blaze. According to Duke Energy, the resulting outage impacted around 2,400 customers. Power has since been restored. There were also reports that water was impacted; Tarantelli's, a nearby restaurant, posted on social media that it had to close for the evening. Other downtown restaurants reported no impact to their water utility.
The Graystone Inn, constructed as a private residence between 1905 and 1906, is one of downtown Wilmington's most striking historic buildings. In 2023, the Preston Restaurant opened in the building after nearly two and a half years of renovation work — but shortly afterward, it closed due to a kitchen fire. The building had been under construction since then, but was slated to reopen shortly, according to the restaurant and inn's website.
Below: Video from the scene
