At around 6:15 PM on Monday, the Camden Westwood Apartments caught fire, and while the flames appeared to start small, they quickly shot up and engulfed the apartments in just a short amount of time. Cary, Apex and Morrisville firefighters and paramedics arrived quickly, and by around 8 PM, they were able to contain the fire to just a single building containing 30 units. An approximated six people were injured and one was hospitalized, and many more were treated for smoke-related injuries.
Green Hope student Carson Barnes (‘27) was at Triangle Rock Club, which is right next to the complex, when the fire first broke out. He described his point of view to the GH Falcon, stating that, “I went to the Triangle Rock Club around 6:30, and saw some friends there. We were talking for a few minutes, and I looked up and noticed smoke.” He went on to describe his reaction to first seeing the smoke rising, as well as what he did next. “I thought it was from a campfire, but then I saw it coming from the apartment complex. We were in shock and the whole place didn’t know what to do,” Barnes explained. After hearing sirens growing louder, it was clear that help was on the way, so Barnes left the premises to get out of the range of the smoke.
More than 70 people were displaced, losing their homes and belongings, and so far, the cause of the fire is unknown. However, this is not the first fire to occur at Camden Westwood Apartments. In both 2019 and 2009, fires broke out, which leads to questions about the structural integrity of the buildings and how this can be prevented for the future.
Shortly after the fire, another tragedy occurred not even a mile away, where John Willis Fraizer, a 55-year-old Morrisville resident, opened fire at the Park West Crumbl Cookie, hitting one person. The person was taken to the hospital, but they unfortunately died shortly after. Ruckus, Crumbl and more stores nearby were busy making food and drinks to help the victims of the fire when the event occurred, catching everyone off-guard. Frazier was then seen entering the Ruckus Pizza right next to Crumbl, but was tackled by Zak Silva, the general manager of Ruckus, and another bystander…