Protests turn violent, fires started in downtown Raleigh

A few fires have started in downtown Raleigh including a growing one at the intersection of Wilmington and Hargett Streets as protest groups start to disperse throughout downtown in multiple groups.
Posted 6/1/2020, 3:59:06 AM

>> THANKS, AMANDA.

CHAD SHOWED US ANOTHER FIRE

BURNING IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH.

JOE, I SEE PEOPLE RUNNING

BEHIND YOU, EXPLAIN WHAT'S

GOING ON RIGHT NOW.

>> THEY ACTUALLY COULD BE

RUNNING FROM THE LOCATION IN

WHICH YOU WERE JUST TALKING TO

AMANDA, THAT WAS MORGAN IN

FAYETTEVILLE AND YOU'RE LOOKING

AT THE FIRE THAT WAS PUT OUT,

AND IT APPEARS THAT THEY ARE

PUTTING SOMETHING ON TOP OF

THIS FIRE, YOU CAN SEE THE

TRASHCAN THAT WAS BURNED AS

PEOPLE ARE THROWING WATTLES AT

THIS BUILDING, THIS FIRE WAS

THAT WILMINGTON AND HARGETT

STREET, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS

JUST ON SCENE HERE AND LET'S

WALK DOWN THE STREET, I'M

SEEING ANOTHER FIRE IN THE

DISTANCE.

AND THAT ONE LOOKS TO BE

GETTING A LITTLE BIT OUT OF

CONTROL BUT THIS FIRE HAS THE

POTENTIAL TO REKINDLE, AS I'M

TRYING TO GET A GOOD LOOK AT

THIS.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT IS A

TRASHCAN OR A VEHICLE, AND I'M

SEEING WHAT APPEARS TO BE A

LARGE FIRE THAT IS SMOKING, AND

WE ARE SEEING SOME FIREWORKS

BEING THROWN INTO THE AIR.

SO WE ARE GETTING A BETTER VIEW

OF THIS, IT IS A TRASHCAN THAT

IS BEING SET ON FIRE, THAT IS

SET ON FIRE, EXCUSE ME, WITH

ANOTHER LARGE CROWD OF

PROTESTERS AROUND.

SO, YOU ARE HEARING THE WHIZZING

OVER OUR HEAD HERE AND THOSE

ARE FIREWORKS THAT ARE BEING

THROWN INTO THE AIR.

AND THIS SECOND FIRE IS RIGHT

HERE AT THE INTERSECTION OF

WILMINGTON AND MARTIN STREET,

THIS IS RIGHT IN FRONT.

RIGHT IN FRONT OF BEASLEY'S

CHICKEN AND HONEY IF YOU ARE

FAMILIAR WITH THAT RESTAURANT,

RIGHT NEXT TO WHAT WAS CHUCK'S

BURGERS, SO WE ARE GOING TO

STAND AT A DISTANCE HERE.

BUT THESE TWO BUSINESSES ARE

BOARDED UP BECAUSE OF THE

DAMAGE THAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT

, AND THEN NOW WE HAVE THIS

FIRE WHICH IS A TRASHCAN ALONG

WITH SOME OTHER NEWSPAPER

BENDS, ETC.

THAT HAVE BEEN THROWN INTO ONE

PILE ON WILMINGTON STREET, AND

SET ON FIRE, SO WE DON'T WANT

TO GET TOO CLOSE TO THAT BUT WE

HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE KIND OF

CIRCLING AROUND AND MAKING

THEIR WAY TO THIS LOCATION, AND

AGAIN, YOU ARE SEEING A LOT OF

THE FIREWORKS THAT ARE BEING

SET RIGHT THERE IN THE MIDDLE

OF THE INTERSECTION.

SO, IF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DOES

NEED TO GET INTO THIS LOCATION,

IT IS GOING TO CERTAINLY BE

DIFFICULT BECAUSE PROTESTERS

ARE KIND OF CIRCLING ALL AROUND

THE INTERSECTION HERE AT MARTIN

AND WILMINGTON STREET.

WE ARE ALSO LOOKING AT THE LEFT

EAR, MONITORING THE SITUATION,

SOMEBODY HAS JUST FALLEN ONTO

THE GROUND, WE WILL KEEP AN EYE

ON THIS FIRE BUT I WANT TO GO

OVER TO AMANDA WHO IS -- I'M

GOING TO TAKE THAT FROM AMANDA

LAMB, IT SOUNDS LIKE SHE IS --

AMANDA, ARE YOU OKAY?

>> I'M FINE, THERE ARE

FIREWORKS GOING OFF ALL AROUND

US, I'M GOING TO MOVE BEHIND A

BARRIER, LAUREN CAN SHOW YOU,

THERE'S FIREWORKS, I'M NOT SURE

WHAT ELSE IS CAUSING ALL THE

SMOKE. I KNOW YOU ARE ON THE

OTHER SIDE OF WHERE I AM, AND A

FEW MINUTES AGO WHEN IT STARTED

GOING OFF, THESE VERY LOUD

BANGS, PEOPLE STARTED RUNNING

DOWN FAYETTEVILLE STREET, SO WE

ARE KIND OF WITH THE CROWD OF

PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN RUNNING

DOWN FAYETTEVILLE STREET. NOW

THEY APPEAR TO BE BENT GOING

BACK IN THAT DIRECTION, SO

AGAIN, WITH THESE CONSTANT

EXPLOSIONS, IT'S REALLY HARD TO

TELL IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S

FIREWORKS BECAUSE WE KEEP

SEEING THESE SPARKS COMING UP,

YEAH, AND THERE IS A FIRE THERE.

WHERE JOE IS, ON THE OTHER SIDE

OF WHERE I AM.

IT'S REALLY, REALLY INTENSE,

GUYS.

AND THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE

STEPPING BACK BUT WATCHING IT,

BUT LIKE I SAID A FEW MINUTES

AGO, WE WERE ALL RUNNING

TOWARDS THE LITTLE ALCOVES ON

FAYETTEVILLE STREET IN BETWEEN

THESE BUILDINGS FOR SOME SAFETY.

SO IT'S REALLY DETERIORATING

INTO SOMETHING COMPLETELY

DIFFERENT THAN WHAT IT WAS A

COUPLE OF HOURS AGO.

>> AMANDA, CAN YOU TELL IF

THOSE LARGE BANKS ARE FROM LAW

ENFORCEMENT OR FIREWORKS

EXPLODING IN THAT FIRE?

>> I TAKE IT'S FIREWORKS, AND I

SAY THAT BECAUSE I DON'T SEE

ANY LAW ENFORCEMENT.

I JUST SEE THE CROWDS THAT