Water Damage Restoration Near Me Garner, NC

According to search warrants, the fire marshal found three separate accelerant patterns with two separate origin points. It also said investigators recovered three cell phones, a pistol and a magazine extender from the scene.

GARNER, N.C. (WTVD) -- Wake County Sheriff's Office is now investigating a deadly house fire in Garner as arson and homicide.

The investigation started Tuesday morning, after firefighters responded around 9:30 to the home on Rand Road near the intersection of Ten Ten Road. The Wake County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) said firefighters found the bodies of 49-year-old Shannon Collins, a 15-year-old, a 13-year-old, and two cats after gaining access inside the house.

Thursday, search warrants obtained by ABC11 Eyewitness News paint a clearer picture of what happened Tuesday morning. They revealed the Wake County Sheriff's Office searched the home and car at the address about five hours into their investigation.

The document said the first gunshot wound was found after all three bodies were pulled into the front yard. While inside, the fire marshal found three separate accelerant patterns with two separate origin points. It also said investigators recovered three cell phones, a pistol, and a magazine extender from the scene.

One neighbor who didn't want to be identified was heartbroken by the news.

"I would see them walking back and forth," said the woman. "The kids help cut the grass. You see how it's cut. It upsets me to think that those two little boys were treated like that and done that way. They didn't get out and play in the yard like other kids do. They always stayed to themselves."

An incident report filed Monday lists the wife and mother of the victims as a domestic violence victim. It was filed the day before the house fire.

ABC11 News saw family members at the house posting no trespassing signs on the home and around the property on the fence. They were seen wearing masks, gloves, and carrying materials.

A friend and coworker started an online fundraiser for the victim's wife and mother. It read that the pain and heartbreak she is enduring are unfathomable. The hope is that the money will allow her the time and resources she needs to move ahead. The neighbor said the family kept to themselves. She hardly ever saw the wife and mother, who often worked as a nurse practitioner.

"Duke Raleigh Hospital is what he told me," she said.

The WCSO said this fire remains under investigation. They aren't looking for any additional suspects at this time.

WAKE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- A swim team is coming together to remember River and Jet Collins, two teenage brothers found dead inside a house in Garner.

This comes as new search warrants shed more light on what's now being considered an arson and homicide investigation in Garner.

River Collins was a lifeguard at the Edgebrook Eels Swim Club in Garner. Their Thursday swim meet was in his honor.

"To know him was to know someone who was gentle, caring, and loving."

As swimmers remember River, they're also trying to make sense of the tragedy, Learning that 15-year-old River and his 13-year-old brother Jet were found dead inside the house. Fire investigators now believe it was intentionally set.

"When I learned River might be dead, and it hit me like a ton of bricks," says teammate Finn Walls.

For now, as they swim through the pain and grief, remember the good times.

"River was a really go with the flow guy, he didn't really let anything bother him. He always made me laugh when I worked with him," says fellow lifeguard Rylee Young.

In addition to swimming, River had a creative side. A student at Longleaf School of the Arts, playing in a band, he also had a serious side with friends saying he was destined for big things.

"It's just different, it's something that we're going to have to get used to without him and his support and what he brings," says Walls.

Now they say it's their turn to support him; at the pool. There were donations set up for the local bank to support River and Jet's mom, who now has to move forward, burying two sons.

Records from the Wake County Sheriff's Office show the victims' mother was listed as a domestic violence victim in a report just days before the fire.

A handful of towns in the Triangle are kicking off Fourth of July festivities a day early, attributing vendor availability, financial reasons and proximity to larger festivities to making early celebrations a tradition for their communities.

A handful of towns in the Triangle are kicking off Fourth of July festivities a day early, attributing vendor availability, financial reasons and proximity to larger festivities to making early celebrations a tradition for their communities.

Wake Forest

The festivities kicked off at 5:30 p.m. at Heritage High School.

Bill Crabtree, director of communications for the town, said, in the 1970s, a committee made up of volunteers decided to put on the fireworks display the day before the holiday so it would not conflict with larger shows and events in the Triangle on the Fourth of July.

Wake Forest has been launching its Independence Day celebrations with a “Fireworks Spectacular” on July 3 for more than 40 years.

“For over 50 years, the event scheduling has served our community quite well,” Crabtree said. “Besides giving area residents the opportunity to enjoy fireworks in Wake Forest on July 3 and again somewhere else the following day, the July 4 Children’s Parade and Art in the Park paved the way for Wake Forest to emerge as one of only a handful of communities to offer a two-day Independence Day Celebration.”

Wake Forest residents, like Monisha Majors, said they prefer the fireworks show on July 3, adding that it gives them more options for Independence Day.

"If we wanted to travel as a family, we could for the holiday," Majors said. "We do the kids parade thing, so we enjoy the entire lineup for not just the fourth, but also the third."

Apex

Apex kicked off its July 4 Fireworks Frenzy Thursday evening at Hunter Street. It’s the first year that their fireworks show will be preceded by a sensory-friendly drone show. WRAL News went in-depth with the town, discussing its decision to add a light show.

The town told WRAL News that it has been putting on its firework show festivities a day before Independence Day because of vendor availability for the fireworks display. It is also less expensive a day before the holiday.

Garner

The Garner Independence Day Celebration on the eve of July 4 has become a tradition for residents, according to the town. It’s been on July 3 for more than three decades.

The town told WRAL News that its centerpiece is the North Carolina Symphony’s performance, which Garner is able to book on the day before the holiday.

“Our July 3rd Independence Day Celebration has become so well-known and such a well-branded event that we can’t foresee breaking from the tradition of having it on that day,” Rick Mercier, Garner’s communications director, said in a statement to WRAL News.

The celebration started at 5 p.m. at Lake Benson Park.

Morrisville

“No need to wait until July 4 to celebrate…” Morrisville Red, White & BOOM! has been a long-standing tradition held on July 3. The town spokesperson, Rox Cruz, said, by celebrating a day early, it allows staff to enjoy the day off as they choose.

Cruz also said it is one of several smaller communities that celebrate early because the larger cities, Cary and Raleigh, hold their festivities on July 4.

Red, White & BOOM! started up at 5 p.m. at Cedar Fork District Park.

Smithfield

Smithfield is welcoming people to “celebrate America’s birthday the small-town way” Thursday evening. Smithfield has held its July Fourth events a few days or the day before the holiday over the past few years.

The event started at 5 p.m. at the Hastings House.

GARNER, N.C. (WTVD) -- As you walk down Main Street in downtown Garner, things may not look all that different from what it did 10 years ago.

Mayor Buddy Gupton said you just need to look closely.

"In a way, it's still home. But we're seeing the new side, what progress can do," he said, peeking into some of the small businesses that now adorn the downtown strip.

That "new side" includes those small businesses, improved sidewalks, a downtown Recreation Center that opened in 2021, and a soon-to-come mixed-use development right on the downtown strip -- the first of its kind in Garner.

"Offering 10,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, mainly for food and beverage operations," said Nate Groover, Economic Development Director. "So that's something that we know that is sorely lacking on Main Street. So we're excited about bringing this offering to our residents and visitors."

New census data, released this month, shows just how much that kind of development may be needed in Garner in the years to come. Those numbers show the town grew by nearly 5,000 residents between 2023 and 2024 -- a more than 10% spike. It's a growth rate faster than that of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill -- and other nearby suburbs. It's also the 10th highest nationally for communities with populations larger than 20,000.

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On Main Street, business owners like Barbara Jemison at Nana's Lil Sweets say it's night and day compared to when she first came to the town.

"There's been a lot of new things happening and a lot more foot traffic than we used to have," Jemison said.

Jemison has owned her bakery for just shy of three years, saying the town's growing population is not only noticeable -- it's helping support an entire downtown district of independent businesses.

"The more people that are popping up as far as small businesses, the more traction we're getting, and the more traction we get, the more word of mouth spreads," she said.

While town leaders know more growth is coming, they're determined to find a way to stay one step ahead.

"We used to believe that 'if you build it, they will come, '" Gupton said. "Now we've learned, even if you don't build it, they still come. So the people are coming. We've got to handle it in a positive way."

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GARNER, N.C. (WTVD) -- Fire crews battled a huge house fire in the 100 block of Cyprine Court on Monday. That's in the Eagle Ridge community right by the golf course.

Flames were seen shooting 30 feet above the roof of the two-story home as firefighters attacked the blaze from multiple directions.

A spokesperson for the Town of Garner said the call came in at 1:48 p.m. about a residential fire. When crews arrived, the fire was already heavy in the attic and back of the house.

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Two people -- a woman and her son -- were inside the house. Both escaped without harm.

The house is a total loss, a fire department official said.

By 6 p.m., most of the smoke was gone, and the fire was under control. Firefighters continued to pour water on hot spots through late afternoon.

One firefighter received minor burns on his hand and then had to take a break because of the heat.

"Not something you see. I was here the other day, and that house was just nice and pretty, standing there like it was two hours ago. I just feel for the people inside," said one man, who was on the golf course when the fire broke out.

Garner Fire-Rescue worked with units from the Fairview Rural Fire Department and Fuquay-Varina Fire Department to get the fire under control.

The Wake County Fire Marshal's Office is investigating to determine the cause of the fire.

The Red Cross is on site assisting the family of three.

"The most important thing is if you know them, to give them assistance," said Donnell Nichols of the Red Cross. "The Red Cross is with them for the long term and make sure they have what they need."

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