The fire that destroyed an oceanfront home in Southern Shores on June 18 started inside the residence, not in a grill on a wooden deck, Fire Chief Ed Limbacher said at Tuesday’s Town Council meeting after giving the Council an enthralling account of the spectacular blaze and of the jam-packed day that his firefighting corps had.
Asked by Town Councilman Rob Neilson whether a grease fire from a grill caused the fire at 150 Ocean Blvd., the Chief demurred, saying that the fire started inside the home, not on a deck. But he also observed, “I don’t think you’re ever going to know.”
Sensitive to not “sensationalizing anyone’s tragedy,” Chief Limbacher gave a precise timeline of the eight emergencies that long “unpredictable” day, which sent Southern Shores firefighters to structure fires in Colington (at 13:26, using a 24-hour format) and Corolla (at 13:33) before they responded to a call at 18:36 about the fire at 150 Ocean Blvd., which rapidly grew after a “BLEVE” occurred.
BLEVE, the Fire Chief explained, is an acronym for Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion, a type of explosion that occurs when a vessel containing a pressurized liquid ruptures after a rapid increase in temperature and pressure. A “weak spot” in the tank blows out, he said.
A BLEVE occurred at 150 Ocean Blvd. after a 250-pound propane tank ruptured and exploded, according to the Chief, who showed a cell-phone video shot by a bystander that captured the explosion’s intense effects on the fire and a photograph of the ruptured tank.
It was fortunate that no firefighters were inside the residence when the BLEVE occurred, having worked outside to contain the fire to the one structure after learning that one of its walls had already partially collapsed.
Had anyone gone inside to look for occupants—firefighters were advised the house was unoccupied—a human tragedy beyond property loss may have occurred.
“Uncertainty is what makes this job really, really dangerous,” Chief Limbacher emphasized.
The air temperature at the time of the fire was 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit, and a 10-mile-per-hour wind was blowing, he said, compounding the challenge and the risk to firefighters.
The Fire Chief also stressed the close cooperation that the Southern Shores Fire Dept. has with the Southern Shores Police Dept., whose officers arrive to secure a scene ahead of the firefighting equipment. (Police Chief David Kole did not attend the Town Council meeting.)
(The Beacon reported on 6/18/25 and 6/19/25 that witnesses to the fire heard or saw an explosion after the blaze had started. One witness placed the time of what we know now was a BLEVE at 7 p.m.; the person who shot the video described two such explosions.)
We commend to you Chief Limbacher’s presentation, which you may view on the town’s You Tube website within the video for the July 8 Town Council meeting. His reports for May and June begin around the five-minute mark of the You Tube video, and his presentation for June 18 starts around the eight-and-a-half-minute mark.
The Chief also reported Tuesday that his department responded to fire alarms on 9th Avenue (15:44) and 15 Ocean Blvd. (18:25) in town that long June day, as well as two EMS calls and one medical call.
Interviews for the four newly created positions of SSFD captain will be held next Tuesday, he said.
By Ann G. Sjoerdsma, The Southern Shores Beacon
The Southern Shores Beacon 