‘Can’t thank them enough:’ Volunteers work tirelessly to support first responders fighting fire

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    HENDERSON COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — As the Poplar Drive Fire ballooned over the weekend from 25 acres Friday, Nov. 3, to 430 acres Sunday, Nov. 5, in Henderson County, so, too, did the volunteer, boots-on-the-ground effort.

And it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Edneyville Fire Chief Robert Griffin got visibly emotional Sunday, Nov. 5, when News 13 asked him what the volunteers — including his wife — mean to first responders.

“(I) can’t thank them enough for what they do for our community — and that’s county-wide,” said Griffin. “Whether they’re here after they’re working somewhere else or doing something else, it’s huge.”

Griffin said Sunday that at any one time, there were 150 people from four counties actively working the fire, with around 40 apparatus on the ground and in the air.

A statewide request for aid went out Sunday afternoon, which would allow relief for crews across several counties, which is much-needed since fire personnel are expected to remain on-scene for a minimum of three weeks.

Inside Fruitland Baptist Church, volunteers worked feverishly stocking high-protein food and a variety of thirst-quenching drinks for the hundreds of first responders on the ground.

“Those guys are doing the dangerous job; we’re just trying to keep them going, to keep them trucking up there,” said part-time firefighter James Nelson.

Nelson, who’s been a firefighter for more than two decades, spent Saturday waiting to be called to assist Henderson County EMS while a majority of the county’s fire crews were on the mountain.

On Sunday, his day off, he couldn’t stay away.

“I’ve been a firefighter my entire life. This is what I do. This is the way I’m built,” said Nelson. “If I can’t be up there doing the job, there’s a lot of jobs behind the scenes just like you see here with people bringing in food and organizing, getting the packages ready to make sure the crews are fed.”

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