53-year-old man killed in apartment fire on Fidelity Street in Carrboro

The town of Carrboro on Tuesday identified a man killed in an apartment fire as Thomas Owens Jr., 53. Sky 5 flew over the scene of a massive fire Monday at Hillmont Apartments on Fidelity Street. According to the Carrboro Fire Department, firefighters responded to the scene around 4 p.m.
Posted 5/5/2026, 5:47:00 PM Updated 5/5/2026, 8:10:04 PM

GAS COULD TOP $5 IF THE STRAIT

REMAINS CLOSED NEXT MONTH.

NEW HERE, 4 O'CLOCK. WE ARE

LEARNING MORE ABOUT A MAN WHO

DIED IN AN APARTMENT FIRE IN

CARRBORO YESTERDAY. 53 YEAR-OLD

THOMAS OWENS WAS KILLED.

FAMILY CALLED HIM TOMMY.

20 OTHER PEOPLE WERE DISPLACED

IN THAT FIRE. WRAL'S MONICA

CASEY'S AT THE SCENE.

>> AND MONICA LOT OF DAMAGE

BEHIND YOU.

>> IN CARRBORO, FIREFIGHTERS

WERE BACK HERE AGAIN TODAY TO

WORK WITH PROPERTY OWNERS TO

TRY TO GET TENANTS BACK INTO

SOME OF THESE UNITS. YOU CAN

SEE HERE BEHIND ME, THE ONES

ALL THE WAY DOWN AT THE END OF

THIS BUILDING ARE HABITABLE.

BUT AS YOU GET CLOSER TO THE

STREET, YOU CAN SEE THESE ONES

AT THE FRONT ARE DESTROYED.

A VIEW FROM DRONE 5 SHOWS THE

DAMAGE TO HIS CAR BERLE

APARTMENT BUILDING A UNIT ARE

DESTROYED IN 20 PEOPLE HAVE

BEEN DISPLACED. JASON OWENS

LOST SOMETHING THAT CAN'T BE

REPLACED, THOMAS, BUT BRISTOL,

53 YEAR-OLD TOMMY DIED IN THAT

FIRE. OWENS TELLS US HIS

BROTHER WAS A HELPER SOLELY

ALWAYS CARES ABOUT ME.

>> ALREADY HAD AND IS ALWAYS

WILLING IT WAS LAST CARRBORO

FIRE HAD HELP FROM OTHER

DEPARTMENTS TO GET THE FIRE

UNDER CONTROL. THEY WERE MET

WITH PRETTY SERIOUS CONDITIONS

UPON ARRIVAL. CHIEF WILL POTTER

TELLS US THE LOSSES COULD HAVE

BEEN WORSE. HONESTLY WITH THE

COMMON THAT EXCEPT THE ADDICTS

ARE ALL CONNECTED TO THE

CONTINUED FARTHER INTO THE

BUILDING AND DAMAGED

SIGNIFICANTLY MORE UNITY.

>> NOW, THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE

IS STILL UNKNOWN. WE DO KNOW

THAT IT STARTED ON THE SECOND

FLOOR, ACCORDING TO THE

CARRBORO POLICE FIRE CHIEF AND

THE FBI IS INVOLVED

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