Early on Wednesday, an abandoned building in Durham, formerly part of the Lincoln Apartments affordable housing complex, was engulfed in flames after a stolen SUV crashed into its structure. CBS 17 reported that Durham Fire Department crews arrived at around 1:45 a.m. to heavy fire through the roof on the 1100 block of Dayton Street. The building has not been in use for years and the fire did not result in any injuries or displacements.
The SUV involved in the incident was empty by the time emergency services arrived, and was reported to be stolen, according to authorities. WRAL News added details from scanner traffic, which included comments on the “heavy fire” and the peculiar position of an vehicle inside the building. Despite the early hour, multiple crews, including about 10 fire trucks, as well as EMS and Durham police, were on the scene to address the fire and its aftermath.
Ladder trucks were employed to extinguish the flames, as officials from the Durham Fire Department managed to knock down the fire. The incident occurred at a site that is part of a redevelopment plan released by Durham Housing Authority in 2023, which affects the Lincoln Apartments and McDougald Terrace. This redevelopment comes after the building’s management evicted residents in 2012 due to unfavorable financial conditions, as WRAL previously reported…