HAMLET — The third of September “isn’t just a date in a history book — it’s a date that changed everything,” according to Labor Commissioner Luke Farley.
Farley was one of several state dignitaries to speak Thursday morning at a memorial service marking the 35th anniversary of the Imperial Foods fire — the second-worst industrial tragedy in North Carolina history.
More than 20 people lost their lives that fateful day when a ruptured hydraulic line above a fryer sparked a fire at the Hamlet plant. But it was dangerous working conditions — including padlocked doors that prevented escape — that led to so many deaths and injuries.
Farley said those who died are not statistics.
“They were people with families, friends, hopes and plans for the future,” Farley said. “They had people waiting for them."
The youngest, Farley said, was just 20 years old, “with her entire life ahead of her.”
“As I reflected on this tragedy, I thought to myself ‘Somebody who died here at 20 years old would not even be retirement age yet,” Farley said. “That’s how much life was still left ahead for some of our victims.”
A monument stands at the site of the former Imperial Foods plant, memorializing a fatal 1991 fire.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
Corey Mercer, chief of fire risk reduction for the N.C. Department of Insurance, said that six of those killed were in their 20s and the oldest was 63.
He then read their names aloud:
Those names are etched into a monument on the site.
To the survivors, including family members, Farly said “we owe them more than our sympathy.”
“We owe them the commitment to make sure that a tragedy like this never happens again,” Farley said.
The fire was a catalyst for changes in workplace safety across the state.
“That commitment has to remain just as strong today as it did 30 years ago when those reforms were implemented,” Farley said.
“Every day, men and women in North Carolina go to work in factories, construction sites, farms and warehouses, and countless other places,” the commissioner continued. “They work hard, they solve problems, they build things, they care for people and they keep our economy going.
“And every one of them deserves to go home safe at the end of the work day,” Farley added. “Work can be busy. Work can be stressful. But work should never be deadly. That’s not just an aspiration, that is the responsibility of everyone … shared by government, employers and, yes, workers. We each have a role in building safe workplaces.”
The state Department of Labor, Farley said, has a responsibility to “enforce the law, identify hazards, educate employers and workers, and hold people accountable when serious safety obligations are ignored.”
State Fire Marshal Brian Taylor speaks about the affects on first responders who attended the scene of the 1991 Imperial Foods fire.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
Early in his speech, State Fire Marshal Brian Taylor focused on the firemen and other emergency personnel who responded to the fatal incident.
“That day scarred them from that day forward,” Taylor said.
“Firefighters and first responders that responded to that incident are trained and programmed to save lives and protect property,” Taylor continued. “By responding to that incident, they were helpless.”
According to a report from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Hamlet Fire Department had two firemen on duty at all times and 28 volunteers — 22 of whom responded to the fire that day.
First responders from across Richmond County came to assist with fire suppression, rescue and recovery efforts.
Hamlet’s Asst. Fire Chief Richard Lassiter is the only currently active paid firefighter who was at the scene.
“That was a heinous act that should have been prevented,” Taylor said, adding that fire inspections were part of the reforms enacted.
Farley said NCDOL will do what it can “to make sure safety remains a priority” in the state.
The best way to honor the survivors, Farley continued, is “by looking forward and asking what we can do to ensure that another community never has to gather like this again.”
