Remembering lives lost in Charlotte fire

by Jeffrey Neale Jackson

Mr. Speaker, last week there was an enormous fire in Charlotte. An apartment building that was under construction caught fire. Within an hour, it became a five-alarm fire.

Ninety firefighters from the Charlotte Fire Department responded. They were able to heroically rescue 15 construction workers, including one from on top of a crane. Tragically, two construction workers were not able to be rescued, and they died: Reuben Holmes and Demonte Sherrill.

Reuben was loved by his family. He was set to have lunch with his sister on Saturday, and they just can't believe what happened.

Demonte was a father of four. Obviously, this is a tragedy that will reshape their families' lives but also a big part of our community.

We honor the first responders who sprang into action and did everything they possibly could under extraordinary circumstances, a fire that burned at a temperature of 2,000 degrees.

We call upon the members of our broader Charlotte community to do everything that they can for these families that have suffered truly unimaginable loss.