Town of Wake Forest closes station after firefighter tests positive for COVID-19

The Town of Wake Forest announced Saturday that it has temporarily closed a fire station after one of the firefighters working there tested positive for COVID-19.

All of the firefighters working at Fire Station #2, 9925 Ligon Mill Road, have been sent home to self-isolate, the town said in a news release.

The station is also being cleaned and sanitized.

Ron Early, the town’s fire chief, said in the release that the fire department is conducting contact tracing to see who else may have been exposed.

The town said the COVID-19 case will not disrupt fire services in the town.

During a COVID-19 outbreak at the Clayton Fire Department in August, 17 firefighters tested positive. That outbreak has led to two deaths: the department’s deputy chief of operations and training and a part-time firefighter’s wife.

Adam Wagner

The News & Observer

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Adam Wagner covers climate change and other environmental issues in North Carolina. His work is produced with financial support from the Hartfield Foundation and Green South Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. Wagner’s previous work at The News & Observer included coverage of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and North Carolina’s recovery from recent hurricanes. He previously worked at the Wilmington StarNews.