On Monday, August 19th, the town of Holly Ridge encountered a series of events that included a major fire of a local industry, the resignation of the mayor, the appointment of a new council person, and a new addition to the family of the mayor pro-tem.
Before noon on Monday, August 19th, emergency services were dispatched to J&J’s Snack food facility on Sound Road due to a fire. The flames and excessive smoke were visible for miles. Business owner, Nathan Carter of Carter’s Barber shop, was able to video the fire, making it available on Facebook Live. Crews responded from Holly Ridge, Surf City, Turkey Creek, Pender EMS and Fire, North Topsail Beach, Camp Lejeune, Southwest, Verona, Onslow EMS, Onslow Fire Marshal and NCOSFM.
The following information was released by Holly Ridge Fire Department:
The Interior and exterior of the J&J Snack Foods facility sustained significant structural damage during the recent fire event. These damages, making the building unsafe to occupy, delayed investigative efforts while air quality testing and other safety assessments could be made. During the following months, the property will experience heavy traffic of work vehicles and equipment while clean-up efforts are underway. The fire department continues to respond to the facility for general damage related issues. One issue that may affect the public is peculiar odors emitting from the property. A product in the refrigeration system has a pungent smell when released in the atmosphere. Damaged pipes may have residual product in them that is causing this odor. The hazardous materials storage was not damaged during the fire. This equipment has been shut down to prevent a release of the product from piping in the fire area. We are continuously monitoring the area and will alert the public in the unlikely event a threat from the facility is imminent. Do not hesitate to contact emergency services if you feel you are in danger.
At 4:30 PM that afternoon a special meeting had been called to select a council person to complete the term of Carolyn Stanley, deceased. Mr. Walter Zabicki was selected from the applicants.
Upon closing of the meeting, Mayor Jeff Wetzler announced that at the conclusion of the meeting he would be resigning as mayor effective immediately.
Mayor pro-tem Josh Patti was not in attendance at the meeting due to the delivery of his eighth child, Hazel Emerson Patti, who decided to come along a little earlier than expected and is happy and healthy.
Applicants wishing to be considered to fulfill the position of mayor through November 2025 will find the application available on the Town of Holly Ridge Facebook page. The application process will run from September 1 – 14th and the selection process may take place during the regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, September 16th at 6:30pm at the Town Hall.
The regular Holly Ridge town meeting was rescheduled from Tuesday, September 10th.