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Capt. Jeff Bowen

From Staff Reports

A 13-year veteran of the Asheville Fire Department, Capt. Jeff Bowen, died July 28 fighting a four-alarm blaze at a medical office at 445 Biltmore Center in Asheville

He was the first Asheville firefighter killed in the line of duty since 1982. It was the city’s four-alarm fire in at least the last 30 years. The AFD was assisted at the blaze by fire crews from departments in Buncombe County, as well as the Asheville Police Department..

Bowen and fellow firefighter Jay Bettencourt, who were a team, were making sure the building was evacuated when Bowen called for help, AFD Chief Scott Burnett said during a news conference late afternoon on July 28.

As emergency crews reached the scene, they found the two men and carried them out of the building. Bowen was taken to Mission Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Bowen, 37, went into cardiac arrest after succumbing to intense smoke and heat, a city news release noted.

Bettencourt, was taken to Mission and then transported in stable condition to a burn center in Augusta, Ga.

In the aftermath, thousands of appreciative citizens lined the streets to pay their respect to Bowen during a procession Aug. 1 that moved Bowen’s body from Groce Funeral Home on Patton Avenue to Biltmore Baptist Church in Arden. The procession involved more than 15 firetrucks and dozens of support vehicles.

Wearing dress uniforms, a half dozen firefighters sat atop the truck, accompanying Bowen’s flag-draped coffin. The procession began at the intersection of Patton and Louisiana near Bowen’s firehouse and proceeded up Louisiana down Haywood to Brevard until it reached the church.

The funeral was held on the morning of Aug. 2 at Biltmore Baptist Church, where an overflow crowd was on hand. Afterward, the body was returned to Groce’s Funeral Home along the same route as the previous procession.

Reportedly, the fire departments from about 25 counties across the state, including all of the surrounding counties, volunteered their services to relieve the AFD firefighters so that all of them could attend Bowen’s funeral.

Mike Fryar, a long-time area resident who lives in Fairview, told the Daily Planet on Aug. 2 that “there was a bunch of people” lining the streets from his vantage in West Asheville near the Ingles on Haywood Road. “I felt very sorry for the family and the community,” he said. “It’s just sad. It’s like soldiers dying. It was a man doing his duty. There were a lot of people, especially women, crying big time.”

While the loss the the family is obvious, Fryar said the community “lost one of the people who protects us. He (Bowen) felt other people’s lives were more important than his own.” Regarding the respectfulness of procession, “It was great — the way it was done.”

The fire, for which the cause has not been determined, erupted about 12:30 p.m. on the top floors of the five-story building, Burnette said during the conference.

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The fire burns on July 28 at 445 Biltmore Center in Asheville. Special photo by Pamela Naber

Burnette called Bowen a dedicated firefighter, husband and father of three. He also noted the injuries suffered by Bettencourt and six other firefighters, who were treated for heat-related injuries. Bowen, who worked for the AFD since 1998, lived with his wife Stacy in Alexander.

More than 200 people were evacuated — with none suffering injuries — from the building owned by Biltmore Condominium Associates. The blaze was under control by 3 p.m., as about 60 firefighters responded to the call.

Regarding Bowen, Burnette said, “He was a wonderful man ... The fire department will do everything we can in facilitating any help with the family. We live together and the bonds are strong among firemen.

“I will always remember his willingness to improve our department,” Burnette said.

 Just last week, he sent me an e-mail about improvements he wanted to implement. He always came to work with a smile on his face. Jeff is remembered as one of the most positive firefighters in our department. He was a firefighters’ firefighter.”

City Councilman Jan Davis said at the news conference, “We have a wonderful fire department. It is a wonderful family. Mayor (Terry) Bellamy asked that I be here to express condolences and ask for the city to pray for these families. We will be flying flags at half staff.”

A probe — to determine the cause and origin — of the fire is being conducted by local, state and federal agencies. The fifth floor had no sprinklers, which were not required at the time the building was constructed, Burnette noted.