Fire at Pender County Sheriff’s Office leads to temporary 911 operations relocation

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Pender County 911 operations were temporarily relocated Sunday night after an electrical fire at the Pender County Sheriff’s Office, officials said.

According to a release from Pender County, a fire alarm was activated at the Sheriff’s Office around 10:32 p.m. on July 12. The Burgaw Fire Department responded and determined that an electrical panel began arcing due to water intrusion from the roof following heavy rainfall earlier that evening.

The arcing caused a small electrical fire, which firefighters quickly extinguished. Crews isolated power to the affected electrical panel and confirmed the fire was fully contained.

As a precaution, the Pender County 911 Dispatch Center was moved to its designated backup communications center for the remainder of the night. Officials said 911 services were never interrupted, and emergency calls and radio communications continued without disruption.

Personnel from the Pender County Sheriff’s Office, Pender County 911 Administration, Information Technology Services and Pender County Facilities assisted with the temporary relocation to ensure emergency communications remained operational.

The 911 Dispatch Center returned to its primary communications center Monday, July 13, and normal operations resumed.

Pender County Facilities staff are continuing to assess the affected area and complete necessary repairs to the building.