Korte Street Southwest in Roanoke is still blocked Monday morning after severe weather blew through Sunday night.

UPDATE - Sept. 19, 2022

The company has deep roots in Roanoke – the city is home to two of the company’s original locations.

The Roanoke Fire Fighters Association spoke at Monday’s city council meeting to address the proposed Public Safety Pay Plan before the official budget is voted on in May.

Quarles was one of the first two Black firefighters hired by the department in 1963. “That’s what I wanted to do, but I said, ‘I never saw any minority firefighters,’” Quarles said. Quarles eventually rose through the ranks and became Roanoke’s first Black fire chief in 1989. “I was the first Black lieutenant, the first Black deputy chief, the first Black chief fire marshal,” Quarles remembered. He remains Roanoke’s only Black fire chief.

ROANOKE, Va – Work is almost complete on Roanoke Fire-EMS Station 7 in Grandin Village. The newly redone station will stand where the former station stood for 94 years. Crews have been working around the clock this year to finish construction on the building. Chief David Hoback says the new station will offer a more inclusive experience for his staff members. Hoback hopes that fire crews can start moving into the station shortly after the new year.

ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke Fire-EMS has replaced two of its most essential lifesaving items. The department recently received two new medic trucks, which will be housed in Fire Stations 1 and 2, respectively. The new Roanoke Fire-EMS medic trucks are larger than their predecessors and feature an advanced air filtration system. Roanoke Fire-EMS Lt. Andy Fleming said the new equipment replaced trucks that had more than 100,000 miles, including one left inoperable because of maintenance issues. This guarantees that the delivery of service will be better for everybody.”Roanoke Fire-EMS did not scrap the old trucks.

ROANOKE, Va. – While many people were at home enjoying food with family and friends, some Roanoke firefighters spent their Thanksgiving waiting for calls. Several Roanoke firefighters, including Bradbury, worked 24-hour shifts within Roanoke’s Fire Station 2 for Thanksgiving. "For some of the people who have been here two or three years, it’s a bigger adjustment for them.”However, the holiday shifts did not prevent Station 2′s firefighters from spending time with family. "We always have an open door, so our families can come see us, especially on holidays.”They did not have to cook any Thanksgiving dinner themselves; Fellowship Community Church in Salem delivered dinner to first responders throughout the Roanoke Valley for Thanksgiving, including the firefighters at Station 2. “They’re not able to go and have a Thanksgiving dinner," said Fellowship Community Church Pastor Kevin Wilson.

ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke’s Fire Station 7 was recently demolished after nearly a century of serving Grandin Village, but people got to take a piece of its history home for free this weekend. Roanoke Fire EMS gave away more than 1,000 bricks salvaged from the historic structure, which had stood since 1922. Many people sought after the free bricks to complement their own memories and experiences of the “Old No. I felt like it was so woven into the fabric of the neighborhood.”Roanoke Fire EMS saved some Fire Station 7 bricks for itself as well. One of the walls of the new fire station, which is estimated to be completed in about a year, will be consturcted with bricks from the old station.