Technician
Kathryn Glaser & John Wall Staff Writers
A massive fire destroyed one apartment building containing twelve units at Gorman Crossing Tuesday afternoon as fire fighters worked to contain the blaze. Raleigh Fire Department arrived at the complex, located at the corner of Avent Ferry Road and Gorman Street, just before 5:30 p.m., according to Jim Sughrue, director of public affairs for Raleigh Police Department. At 6:30 p.m., the fire had already affected a dozen units. “The fire started on the first floor and quickly moved to the second floor,” John McGrath, Raleigh Fire chief, said. No injuries were reported, but seven N.C. State students were displaced, according to Capt. Jon Barnwell of University police. Campus police were on the scene – not in a law enforcement capacity, but to assist any students involved. “We responded to that incident because of the proximity to campus, and with the knowledge that complex may have some student residents,” Barnwell said. Together with the American Red Cross, apartment complex owners arranged for those affected to have a place to stay. “It’s still a work in progress. Of course those who were involved lost everything, pretty much,” Barnwell said. Miriam Morton, an alumna and resident of the apartment complex who arrived home during the fire, said that the buildings affected by the fire collapsed. “[When I first walked in] I saw smoke and helicopters before I could turn into the apartment complex,” Morton said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. “There was a lot of traffic because roads were closed just outside of the complex.” Morton said there were swarms of
brent kitchen/Technician
Firefighters prepare a hose in their efforts to contain the blaze at the Gorman Crossing apartment complex Tuesday, July 19.
emotional residents in the community when she first arrived as residents evacuated from at least 11 units in the complex. “There were about 100 people outside,” Morton said. “A lot of people came running through and crying trying to get to their house and check on things inside their homes.”
A dense crowd -- residents and otherwise -- surrounded the fire. One resident who lived in a building that burned to the ground cried from behind police tape as she observed the devastation. A manda Frank lin stood and watched firefighters scramble around the scene. She arrived at the fire when
it first started around 4:30 p.m. She lives in a building no further than 30 feet from a building that at 6:30 p.m. had been totally destroyed. “The trees and bushes right next to my apartment caught fire, but firefighters put them out,” Franklin said. “It spread quickly.” A fire started in the kitchen of a Gorman Crossing apartment about the same time last year, according to seven-year resident Cheryl El-Haimeur. “I run a business out of my apartment, and I was worried today -- as I was last year -- that my apartment and all of my possessions would go up in flames,” ElHaimeur said. Last year’s fire occurred in the building directly across the street from the building that burned down Wednesday. Someone had left the stove on, and smoke began to bellow from the apartment. No major damage occurred as firefighters quickly contained that previous incident, El-Haimeur said. In an attempt to alleviate the hardship of those affected, ElHaimeur offered the use of her apartment to an American Red Cross representative for any of those left homeless. As of Tuesday evening, the fire was mostly contained. Small flames jumped up from smoldered sections of affected areas, but they were promptly extinguished by firefighters. Firefighters remained on the scene overnight until Wednesday morning to ensure that the fire was fully extinguished. Once crews determined the scene was safe, they handed the property over to complex management. Residents were then allowed to “salvage what they could,” Whitley said.
july
21 2011
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
Fire destroys student apartments
thursday
Students bring flair to city park Twelve graduate architecture students designed and built a space to spruce up Durham Central Park. Brooke Wallig News Editor
As part of a Design Build studio project, 12 graduate studies from the College of Design’s School of Architecture worked this summer to add a functional yet creative addition performance space for Durham Central Park. According to Ellen Cassilly, project advisor and president of Ellen Cassilly Architect, Inc. , this type of project provides an alternative type of learning—one that gives students the opportunity to get out of the classroom and into real-world experiences. “When I went to school what you did was between you and the instructor or Scantron creator. It was a very private matter if you did poorly or did well on something. But here there’s a certain ego that’s on the line. But when design students design something and hang it on the wall, people are going to see it,” Cassilly said. “But if they design something and build it in the middle of a park, a lot of people are watching, they want it to be really good. They want to take pictures of it and put it in their portfolio. So I think there’s a wonderful dose of ego—I think in the very best way—that’s involved here and I think it’s a really good motivational factor.” While Cassilly said the project got its start with $12,000 donation from Duke Energy, more than half of the project will be funded by the community through the use of a website called Kickstarter.com. This site allows potential project organizers to submit a proposal online for public viewing,
design continued page 3
insidetechnician
Bellybutton provides refuge for bacteria, interest for research
The Bellybutton Biodiversity team studies the hundreds of bacteria strains that live on us daily. See page 5.
luis zapata/Technician
A bulldowzer tears down the bookstore as part of the Talley Renovation project. The antcipated completition is in 2014. The finished Talley will have the bookstore included in the building.
As summer heats up, so does Talley renovation Student center construction progresses quickly as summer nears its end. John Wall Staff Writer
Although the Talley Student Center remains open and operational, construction surrounds the building that will soon take on a new façade. The two-story building behind Talley that once housed the bookstore and C-Store was demolished, and the roadway in front of Talley is closed to through traffic. Physical changes to the student center itself have yet to begin.
Students who walk by the site will struction,” said Tim Hogan, director see a flurry of activity on a day-to-day of University student centers operations. basis. Now that the Project planners bookstore building said they do not has been torn down, want construction construction is curto inconvenience rently focused on those traveling on underground work foot, and left gaps that must first be in fencing around accomplished before the site to allow any structural work foot traffic to reach can begin. Talley, Carmichael “Primarily we’re Tim Hogan, director of gym and other deswork i ng on t he University Student Centers tinations around site work including operations campus. In the last chilled water lines, week, the pathway steam lines, electrical and data work underground and has been consolidated to one walkclearing the site to prepare it for con- way through the construction rather
“Hopefully people will be cognizant that we are doing the best that we can...”
than two paths. “It’s a construction site, and we’re attempting to accommodate as many people as possible knowing that we are going to have detours along the way,” Hogan said. “Hopefully people will be cognizant that we are doing the best that we can to accommodate all our students on campus.” Incoming freshmen and returning students alike must deal with the obstruction. Orientation attendee Evan Hartshorn said construction has caused a large inconvenience in his orientation experience, especially since many
talley continued page 3
A new era for the Last Frontier
The end of the shuttle program does not mark the end of U.S. space exploration. See page 6.
Gottfried ready for rebuilding
Men’s basketball coach feels the program has a ‘long way to go’. See page 8.
viewpoint features classifieds sports
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