At 2:26 AM this morning a fire alarm went off and then the call went out for a fire in Saint Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church just down the road from the Bay Leaf Fire Department. The church is located at 12333 Bayleaf Church Road, Raleigh.
In what seemed like a scene straight out of a twisted mystery movie we proceeded down NC 98 towards the church fire slightly before 3 AM through extremely thick fog, passing a cyclist in a trench coat walking their bike along the side of the road and a truck driving in circles. On our way back we even passed what looked like a DWI arrest.
If you were not awake and out at 3 AM on Saturday morning, you were damn lucky. Oh yes, and then there was the second house fire Stony Hill Fire Department was dealing with at the same time at 10424 Whitestone Road.
Local fire departments responding included Durham Highway, Wake Forest, Bay Leaf and Stony Hill. As soon as firefighters entered the church the statement was made the fire scene would be a crime scene.
Numerous units from the Wake County Sheriff’s office and NC State Highway Patrol were on scene as well when we arrived.
Law enforcement quickly closed down the scene.
The fire was rapidly brought under control and firefighters pulled back to await both a crime scene and fire investigation by various department investigators. It is too early to determine any further regarding the source of the fire and if it truly was a criminal act or an accident.