State briefs: Mother, 3 children injured after Lexington house fire

Published 11:55 pm Monday, January 31, 2022

LEXINGTON (AP) — A 3-month old is among four people hospitalized after a mobile home fire in North Carolina in which an older sibling rushed into the flames to save two of his sisters, officials said.

The Davidson County Fire Marshal’s office said firefighters responded at around 7 a.m. Saturday to a mobile home fire.

According to the fire marshal’s office, an 18-year-old sibling went back into the mobile to save his sisters, while a firefighter crawled on the floor, found the baby and carried the infant to safety.

WGHP reports that the mother and sisters are being treated for burns at a Winston-Salem hospital and are expected to recover.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Davidson County Fire Marshal’s Office, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

EMS crew moved from Davie fire department over conduct claims

ADVANCE (AP) — A North Carolina county said it was moving an emergency medical services crew out of a community’s fire department over multiple reports of unprofessional conduct by fire personnel.

Davie County has terminated its agreement for housing an EMS transport unit, staff, equipment and supplies at the Advance Fire Department, according to County Manager David Bone. News outlets reported that Bone informed Chief Rodney Miller in a letter dated Jan. 21.

EMS staff witnessed inappropriate behavior by fire department workers and their guests, the letter says. Bone mentioned unwanted physical touching and winemaking inside the station.

According to the letter, visitors were also brought upstairs to staff bedrooms and people also complained of loud behavior — including someone banging on a pistol with a hammer while trying to fix a handgun.

Daniel Burke, who chairs the board of the fire department, said in a statement to news outlets on Jan. 26 that the agency “will not condone, permit or tolerate any form of unlawful discrimination or harassment by or against our employees or volunteers.”

The department is investigating and will act if the claims of improper conduct are substantiated, Burke said.

Davie County and the Advance Fire Department have entered into a new agreement to move the EMS unit to a different facility in the community. The crew will be using an old fire department building for daytime operations.

Argument between 2 men ends in fatal shooting, arrest

WINSTON-SALEM (AP) — A man was shot and killed in North Carolina after getting into an argument with another man over a female friend, police said.

Winston-Salem police responding to reports of a shooting around 3:10 p.m. on Sunday found Luis Enrique Javier, 29, with apparent gunshot wounds, news outlets reported. Paramedics with Forsyth County Emergency Medical Services pronounced Javier dead.

Police arrested Jose Angel Castro Marin, 42, and charged him with murder. He is jailed without bond, and it’s not known if he has an attorney.

According to police, Javier and Marin began arguing about a female friend before Marin went to Javier’s address and shot Javier. A relative of Javier restrained Marin until police arrived and took him into custody, a news release said.