North Carolina Construction News staff writer
Two people died in a five-alarm fire last week at an apartment under construction in South Park, Charlotte.
Fire officials say two construction workers had been reported missing after the massive fire broke out Thursday. Two bodies were recovered on Friday, but their identities have not yet been released.
“The officers and members of the Charlotte Fire Department send our deepest condolences to the family, friends and loved ones affected by this tragedy,” Charlotte Fire Chief Reginald T. Johnson said in an update after investigators recovered the bodies.
The Charlotte Fire Department received calls about the fire on the 7700 block Liberty Row Drive around 9 a.m. Firefighters arrived within minutes to find heavy smoke coming from the construction site and the fire progressed to five-alarm by 10 a.m.
Charlotte fire investigators have deemed the fire accidental and confirmed it started in an area around a spray insulation foam trailer on the structure’s ground floor. Flames also spread to construction across the street and several nearby rooftops.
Fifteen construction workers were rescued, including a crane operator who was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, Johnson said.