THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 21, 1995 TAG: 9501210221
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH AND STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: NAGS HEAD LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
The Outer Banks office of The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star was destroyed by fire Friday night, resulting in the loss of more than a decade's worth of newspaper clippings and records.
No one was injured in the blaze, which a passing fire official discovered about 7:30 p.m. And several boxes of irreplaceable photographic negatives stored in the basement were saved. But everything else appeared to have been lost, witnesses said.
``I'm stunned,'' said a shaken Ronald L. Speer, general manager of the bureau and editor of The Carolina Coast. But he pledged that newspaper business would go on as usual. ``We'll find a way to keep putting the paper out.''
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Speer said no one else was in the building when he left about 10 minutes before the blaze was discovered.
Dare County Fire Marshal Doug Remaley was returning from dinner when he drove by the building and saw flames coming from a second-floor window. He called the Fire Department. The first firefighters were on the scene within minutes, but the flames spread quickly through the offices.
Although the three-story building, converted from a home, remained standing, it was gutted. The building is in the 2800 block of S. Croatan Highway, at the corner of East Barnes Street, near mile post 11.
Volunteer departments in Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Roanoke Island and Colington responded to the fire. The Dare County Emergency Medical Service also was on the scene.
``We don't have that many fires down here,'' said Charles Hartig, public relations coordinator for Dare County. ``The response from the local fire departments has been just tremendous. We're thankful that we've got all these volunteers down here.''
About 10 people worked in the building full time. In addition to serving as the Outer Banks bureau of The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, the structure - purchased in the late 1980s - was headquarters for The Carolina Coast - a community news section for North Carolina readers of The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star - and was the base of operations for circulation and advertising personnel serving the Outer Banks.
Many of those staff members arrived at the building while the flames were still visible. Some were in tears as they watched years of work be destroyed.
Advertising artist Rosemary Curtis turned back just moments after walking up to the scene, saying that she simply couldn't watch.
Despite fears of what a hurricane might do, ``we always thought that the worst thing that could happen would be a fire,'' staff writer Lane DeGregory said as she watched firefighters dousing the blaze. ``All of our notes, all of our work for the last 10 years, are gone.''
Photographer Drew Wilson, whose images of Outer Banks life have become a highlight for newspaper readers, had to be held back briefly by firefighters when he arrived. Inside the building was a wealth of pictures, numbering in the thousands, that he had made over the years.
Once fire officials felt it was safe, Wilson was allowed into the building's basement to retrieve numerous boxes of negatives.
He was assisted by several other staff members, including art correspondent Mary Ellen Riddle, who arrived in a dress and high heels from a social engagement. Firefighters also helped remove negatives. Although none of the boxes recovered appeared to have been burned, it was unclear whether the contents were damaged.
The newspaper's third-floor library, holding clippings and other documents dating back many years, was destroyed.
A newspaper management team was on the scene late Friday assessing the situation and making plans to find temporary offices for the bureau and The Carolina Coast.
The newspaper had just completed a major modernization of the Nags Head office, installing a new computer system that was brought on line last weekend. All equipment, including an extensive darkroom facility and hi-tech image transmission gear, was lost.
``To lose something as valuable as the Virginian-Pilot office is a very serious loss for us here on the Outer Banks,'' Hartig said. MEMO: To reach the newspapers, Outer Banks readers should use the following
numbers temporarily: News, (919) 338-1334 or (804) 446-2314;
Advertising, (919) 338-1872; Circulation, (800) 446-2005.
KEYWORDS: FIRE VIRGINIAN-PILOT OUTER BANKS BUREAU by CNB