Cornelius police have arrested a 20-year-old man in connection with a burglary and fire Tuesday evening in the Marina Shores apartment complex on Lake Norman. Fire officials and police said Friday the fire was arson and was likely related to the break-in and a dispute among roommates. Full story on CorneliusNews.net.

Davidson firefighters pack up their equipment after checking out smoke in Davidson College's Sentelle dorm (background). (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Residents of Davidson College’s Sentelle dormitory on Dormitory Drive were evacuated shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday in a fire scare prompted by smoke in a fourth-floor dorm room. Fire officials later determined that a burned-out fan motor above the fourth floor caused the smoke. Read the full story

Firefighters responded to a total of 29 calls over the past week, including last Friday’s multi-structure fire in Cornelius and four wrecks on I-77. Firefighters also assisted an eight-year-old stuck in a tree, and put out a brush fire caused by a burning lawnmower Wednesday in River Run. A tally of the week’s medical calls may be found below as well.

Read the full story

More than 30 of the department's 55 volunteers and part-timers posed for a picture. More photos below. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Chief says firefighter ranks up, but challenges remain

Davidson Fire Department now has 55 volunteers, part-time firefighters and recruits – the most in recent memory, Fire Chief Jeff Almond said Monday at the town’s annual firefighter appreciation dinner at the fire station on Jackson Street behind Town Hall.

But the changing nature of fire service in a small town means the department still struggles to keep trucks manned as they head to a growing number of fire calls. Read the full story

Fire officials in Cornelius say that big fire early Friday that destroyed two homes on Meadow Crossing Lane started in a recycling container outside one of the homes, but they’re still not sure of the cause. Christina Ritchie Rogers has an update  on CorneliusNews.net.

Two houses on Meadow Crossing Lane in Cornelius were destroyed in a fire that leaped from one house to the other around 2:15 a.m. Friday. Nobody was hurt, and officials weren’t sure of the cause early this morning. One of the home belongs to Ernest Jeffries, a Davidson College official and pastor of Gethsemane Baptist Church. Story and photos on CorneliusNews.net.

Firefighters assisted neighboring districts with a number of incidents this week, including a propane grill fire that initially was thought to threaten a Mount Mourne home. High winds and lightning early Tuesday triggered a number of calls, including an electrical hazard at the Community School of Davidson and a fallen tree that damaged two vehicles at a local apartment complex. Details on these calls and more, along with a tally of the week’s medical calls, may be found below.

Read the full story

A Davidson College worker accidentally cut a gas line between two student apartment buildings on Wednesday. That was one of nine calls to the college campus over the past week that prompted responses by local firefighters, out of a dozen total calls. In another incident, dispatchers received a flurry of 911 calls Sunday when steam from the college’s Watson Life Science Building appeared to be smoke. Also early Sunday, firefighters responded to a false alarm at the Irwin residence hall that was triggered by student play with a fire extinguisher. Elsewhere, a downed tree across Shearer Road kept firefighters and public works crews busy on Wednesday. Details on these calls, along with a tally of the week’s medical calls, may be found below.

Read the full story