To reflect on the year, Chapelboro.com is re-publishing some of the top stories that impacted and defined our community’s experience in 2025. These stories and topics affected Chapel Hill, Carrboro and the rest of our region.
Over the course of 2025, fires impacted a handful of the community’s beloved small businesses and institutions. Some fires closed doors, while other doors reopened after recovery. Here’s a summary of the various fires Chapelboro has covered throughout the year:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Siena Hotel fire
Chapel Hill Police Chief Celisa Lehew speaks to reporters outside the Siena Hotel on Aug. 22. (Image via Henry Taylor/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
On Friday, Aug. 22, at 4:30 a.m., the Chapel Hill Fire Department responded to what was initially reported as a structure fire at the Siena Hotel on East Franklin St. The situation quickly became more complicated when it was determined by first responders that an armed individual was inside the building.
“We do believe that the person responsible for the fire is still within the building,” Chief Celisa Lehew told reporters at the time, “and we are working in active investigation to make contact so that we can safely enter and make sure that he is safely found.”
Shortly after noon, first responders found the body of Randy Moore Bullock, a hotel employee who was believed to have started the fires. Bullock was a well-known figure in Chapel Hill’s local music scene in the 1990s, serving as program director at WXYC radio and co-operated the local music label Jesus Christ Records.
“This is a sad day for us, and we extend empathy to all families and guests and community members that were affiliated or involved,” said Lehew.
Workers clear debris out of the Siena Hotel in November (Henry Taylor/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
A National Fire Incident Reporting System report released by CHFD revealed more details about the day’s events. It recounted how the hotel’s sprinkler system had been shut off at the time of the fire, as well as stating the building’s main fire alarm panel was “not functioning correctly with nothing visible on the LCD display and no audible devices sounding on the first floor.”
A narrative from Lieutenant W. Jordan included in the report recounted how entrances and exits to the hotel had been purposefully blocked at the time of the fire.
“Engine 33 noticed that the rear exit doors of the lobby had a broomstick through the door handle, also on the outside of the door, looking out from the elevator lobby. Engine 33 started pulling ceiling to check for extension when Engine 31 arrived to help with overhaul. Shortly after this point, we were called out of the structure due to a possible armed subject in the building.”
One detail that caused confusion on the day of the fire were reports from law enforcement that they had located an individual in the building, but they didn’t know whether it was the suspect or not. Officer in Charge and Battalion Chief Justin Lanning’s narrative clarified this part of the incident.
“CHPD officers noted a person in the window on the fourth floor, A-side. The person wasn’t responding to commands and matched the description of the suspect,” he said. “CHPD next requested the use of Ladder 72 to make contact with the suspect on the fourth floor. In doing so, it was determined that the person was not a suspect and had failed to evacuate. The person was removed from the balcony and to the ground via Ladder 72’s aerial device.”
The fire did result in two injuries, but neither were life threatening. One of the injured individuals received treatment at UNC Hospitals while a Chapel Hill transit bus moved hotel guests away from the scene.
The Chapel Hill Fire Department’s investigation officially concluded on Sep. 26, and the Chapel Hill Police Department’s criminal investigation into the incident is on-going. As of Dec. 18, The Siena Hotel has not announced an official reopening date, and declined to provide Chapelboro with a comment. According to Marriott’s website, the Siena Hotel will be “closed for renovations until January 2027.”
Fire Condemns Gates Of Beauty And Public Impact
Carrboro firefighters enter the blackened garage of Gates of Beauty (Image via Henry Taylor/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
The same day as the incident at the Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill, two businesses in Carrboro were also impacted by fire. Gates of Beauty Auto Shop at 405 East Main Street prompted a response from the Carrboro Fire Department when a fire started within the garage.
“We had fire showing through the roof on our arrival,” Carrboro deputy fire chief David LaPlante told Chapelboro on the day of the incident. “We had crews go in, extinguish the fire, conduct some ventilations, some overhaul.”
The garage door leading into Gates of Beauty Auto Shop was blackened, billowing smoke and dripping with water from fire hoses. The smoke continued to rise up from the building, visible from multiple angles. Even as far away as the Drakeford Library Complex, the smell of the fire was heavy in Carrboro.
LaPlante told Chapelboro both the state fire marshal and the state Bureau of Investigation determined the fire was caused by accidental electrical failure, and the damage was extensive. The building which houses both Gates of Beauty and the neighboring business Public Impact has been condemned, with the Town of Carrboro having estimated $500,000 worth of damages.
Shortly after the fire, a GoFundMe was started to raise money for Brother Peacemaker, the owner of Gates of Beauty.
“For decades, Mr. Peacemaker has given generously of himself,” the GoFundMe reads. “Whether it was fixing a car for someone who couldn’t afford to pay right away, volunteering his time fixing the fairground in Chatham County, so children would have a safe place to go and enjoy themselves, or just being a dependable neighbor helping people in need. Now, he needs our financial support.”
As of Dec. 22, 2025, the fundraiser has only raised roughly $3,000 out of its $30,000 goal. Gates Of Beauty is listed as “permanently closed” on Google. Public Impact has not provided comment on the future of its workspace.
Mediterranean Deli Reopens Following 2023 Fire
Mediterranean Deli Owner Jamil Kadoura stands inside the deli and bakery by the pita bread machine in the front on Tuesday, Sep. 3, 2025. (Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
Saturday, July 22, 2023, started as a typical Chapel Hill weekend day. Things on Franklin St. took a turn for the worst around 2:30 p.m., when a call came in to the Chapel Hill Fire Department saying Mediterranean Deli, a beloved town staple, was on fire. Located at 410 W. Franklin St., has been owned by Kadoura since its founding in 1992. In the following years, it has become a centerpiece of Chapel Hill’s restaurant scene. The fire left the building with $3 million in damage and forced it to temporarily close.
Thus began a lengthy wait for the restaurant’s customers and fans as Kadoura and his team conducted repairs on the interior. Finally, on Tuesday, Sep. 9, 2025, two years and two months after the fire, Med Deli made its triumphant return despite a litany of delays and missed target dates.
“We invested lots of money in this [space] besides what the insurance gave us,” Kadoura said. “What the insurance gave us was really like a drop in the ocean for this, so we invested a lot of money to make it the way we wanted to. Everything that we wish to have, we have now.
“I love to say that statement,” he added with a gleeful laugh.
The dining room of Mediterranean Deli awaits its first customers since the rebuild and renovation. The deli counters, bakery section and marketplace of multicultural foods remains in the same layout as before the 2023 fire. (Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
All in all, the fire insurance covered roughly $1.6 million of the sustained damage, according to Kadoura, with the total rebuild requiring around $3.5 million and equipment replacements costing $1 million. The dining room, deli counters and market space looked familiar to customers, albeit with a fresh white coat of paint. But it’s the back-of-the-house areas where they’ve made the biggest changes. A new kitchen setup with a central island hood vent and cooking stations, three additional walk-in fridges and freezers, and significantly more storage space has allowed for Med Deli to operate more efficiently.
Part of the reason he felt confident in taking the plunge was the community’s generosity in the immediate aftermath of the fire – as a GoFundMe campaign to help cover Mediterranean Deli employees’ wages raised more than $213,000.
To this day, Kadoura said he is still shocked by that fundraising, which was organized by someone not affiliated with the deli.
“We had students that actually donated $5 to the GoFundMe,” he recalled. “What does that tell you? It tells you, ‘I want to give you something, I’m sorry I can’t afford to give more than this…but I want to give you this.’ To me, it was mind-blowing what the community did.”
Chapelboro checked in with Kadoura at the end of 2025 to see how things have been going since reopening. He had nothing but positive things to say.
“It has been great to see the community at the end after 2 long years,” he said. “Our employees and I waited so long for this time. I love seeing them working and getting enough hours. So nice to see old faces and all the new faces happy to see us back. So many of the customers asked to have their picture with me at the deli, it made me feel so good. It fills my heart with joy to be able to feed this amazing community again.”
Gas Explosion At Shakori Hills Food Truck
Images of the aftermath of the explosion on the inside of Stuffyman’s Vegan Stuff (Images via the Chatham County government.)
On Oct. 2, 2025, two food truck employees suffered burns after a gas leak caused an explosion inside their vehicle at the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival in Pittsboro.
A release from the Chatham County government confirmed Fire Marshal Billy Judson was investigating the incident, which was caused by a propane gas leak in the truck. An initial review determined the fire was isolated to the food truck and Shakori Hills staff acted quickly to grab fire extinguishers to help with the flames before emergency personnel arrived on the scene.
Photos shared by the county showed a scorched interior of the vehicle covered in fire extinguisher residue. WRAL’s helicopter camera gathered footage of first responders gathered around a food truck for Stuffyman’s Vegan Stuff shortly after the explosion.
According to the release, the two injured workers were transported to the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill for further treatment.
Judson extended his thanks to the emergency personnel who did respond to the festival grounds at 1439 Henderson Tanyard Road in Pittsboro, which included: the North Chatham Fire Department, Silk Hope Fire Department, Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, Pittsboro Fire Department, and FirstHealth EMS.
Stuffyman’s has not posted a schedule of food truck appearances since slightly before the October incident. In December, owner Eric J. Zeigler III responded to an Instagram comment on that schedule saying there is still a lot of recovery to be done.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Top Stories Of 2025: Fires Impact Local Businesses Across The Community Chapelboro.com.
Hence then, the article about top stories of 2025 fires impact local businesses across the community was published today ( ) and is available on chapelboro ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Top Stories Of 2025: Fires Impact Local Businesses Across The Community )
Also on site :
- My Daughter’s Friend Has a Crush on My Husband. It’s Making Us Both Deeply Uncomfortable.
- Sanofi to Acquire Dynavax, Adding a Marketed Adult Hepatitis B Vaccine and Phase 1/2 Shingles Candidate to the Pipeline
- Manchester United vs Newcastle Prediction: Heavyweights Meet in Premier League’s Only Boxing Day Clash