First responders honored for downtown Raleigh fire
RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- On Monday, inside of the Wake County Commission Chambers, first responders received a standing ovation and a big 'thank you' for putting out last month's fire at the Metropolitan Apartments, under construction in downtown Raleigh.
More than 10 first response agencies from Raleigh and Wake County answered the call.
They put out one of the worst fires generations of North Carolinians have never seen before.
Monday afternoon, county leaders honored them for going into harm's way and saving the community.
Firefighters tell ABC 11 they are thankful for the appreciation.
"We've been greatly honored and humbled by the community by the way they responded," said Raleigh Fire Battalion chief, A.C. Rich. "Sometimes it's a little overwhelming."
Approximately 150 firefighters and emergency personnel went to work on the blaze.
S.J. Komansky, chief of operations for Wake County EMS, said when he arrived at the fire, it looked like he was walking into a scene of a movie.
"We just had chunks of installation falling around us," said Komansky, who's been with Wake County EMS for 10 years.
First responders said the intense scene was weakened because the multi-agency effort was collaborative and methodical.
From evacuating hundreds from neighboring buildings and apartments, managing traffic flow, to removing the threat of serious injuries, firefighters acted quickly and worked together.
But to for these heroes, they're "just doing their jobs."
"A lot of times we like to simply say that we were doing our jobs because that's what we're doing," said Rich.
Federal agents are still investigating the cause of this fire.
