THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 22, 1995 TAG: 9502220434
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: COLINGTON ISLAND LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
After spending three days in Hampton Roads, Daniel Napier couldn't wait to get home Tuesday.
When he finally arrived at his Colington Island trailer, there wasn't much to return to.
``I was driving up the road and saw smoke around the bend,'' Napier said. ``I thought the woods were on fire. Then, I saw flames coming from near my trailer.
``When I got closer, I realized it WAS my trailer,'' said Napier, 45. ``Flames were coming up through the roof. By the time I got here, it was all gone.''
Colington Volunteer Fire Department Chief Kim Piddington said the cause of the fire had not been determined late Tuesday afternoon. He estimated the damage between $10,000 and $20,000. Dare County Fire Marshall Doug Remaley said the fire appeared to be accidental.
Flames started in the back bedroom, Napier said, where ``all I had was a big color TV, my Sega games, and my bed.''
Napier's trailer - now a shell of burned metal - was just east of the entrance to Colington Campground, on the north side of Colington Road. The fire began about 3:15 p.m. Within 15 minutes, flames had engulfed the 72-foot trailer and its contents.
Firefighters blocked traffic on two-lane Colington Road for an hour as they worked to make sure the flames were out. More than 30 firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded to the call. Piddington said Napier's was the first Colington Island home to be destroyed by fire in a year.
``I couldn't believe how fast that trailer went. And, man, was it hot,'' said Stanley Moore, a neighbor who called the Fire Department. ``I got here and tried to get it with a garden hose. But that weren't no good . . . It was blazing quick.''
Moore and other onlookers helped spray the trailers on both sides of Napier's with water before firefighters arrived, and no other structures burned. No one was at home when the fire began, and no one was injured in the blaze. Napier, who had lived in the trailer for about a year, said he had some insurance.
``I been doing artwork for about three months now. Acrylic paintings. I was supposed to sell them,'' Napier said sadly, staring at charred remains of books and melted rubber boots. ``I don't guess this really has hit me yet.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
CHARLIE HUFF
Daniel Napier's 72-foot trailer on Colington Road was destroyed by
fire Tuesday afternoon. Witnesses said the blaze consumed the
trailer in 15 minutes. More than 30 firefighters and emergency
personnel responded to the call. A neighbor said he tried to douse
the flames with a garden hose, but his efforts were in vain.
by CNB