ALBEMARLE — On Saturday night around 7:30 p.m, the Albemarle Fire Department was alerted of a fire at an abandoned warehouse building located in the 100 block of Aquadale Road, near the Breakfast Nook and behind the Servco station on South Second Street.
The Endy and Southside volunteer fire departments also responded to the scene.
Although the building was severely damaged as a result of the fire, no one was hurt, according to fire officials.
“As crews arrived on the scene, heavy smoke and flames were visible through the building’s roof,” the Albemarle Fire Department posted on its Facebook page. “The building sustained extensive damage to the roof and walls. No injuries have been reported.”
An investigation into the cause of the fire is now underway. While now vacant, the building that housed the fire was the former home of Stanly Masonry Supply Inc.
The recent incident comes right on the heels of an award recognition given to Albemarle firefighters.
Last week, the Albemarle Firefighter Cadet Academy and the City of Albemarle were awarded Region of Excellence honors in the category of Cross Community Collaboration from the Centralina Regional Council.
Since 2021, the City of Albemarle’s Firefighter Cadet Academy has trained new members of Albemarle’s department and other local firefighters by sponsoring recruits attending the academy. The academy hosts 18 weeks of instruction through classroom and hands-on training led by firefighters and special-skilled instructors.
Albemarle Fire Chief Pierre Brewton addressed the honors in a press release: “This award truly belongs to the entire City of Albemarle Fire Department. From Assistant Chief Kenny Kendall, who developed the academy, to the chief officers through firefighters, every rank in our department has been critical to making the Firefighter Cadet Academy a success. We’re grateful to our city leaders and academy partners for supporting us and seeing our academy’s potential to make a long-term positive impact on communities. We also thank the judging panel for recognizing our efforts and the value of this work.”
According to the City of Albemarle’s official Strategic Plan, Firefighter Cadet Academy achieves two goals: organizational capacity (investing in the city’s workforce to enhance city operations and efficiency to better serve the community) and safety & security (enhancing resources and improve practices to protect residents and safeguard the city in order to improve quality of life).
“Congratulations to all of our Region of Excellence Award winners for making significant and positive advancements in our region,” said Geraldine Gardner, Executive Director of Centralina. “We are excited to celebrate the successful initiatives, collaboration, and innovative local government action that make our region a better place to live and work.”