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Press release from the N.C. Department of Insurance, shared June 20:
RALEIGH — On Aug. 15, 2012, the Smoky Park Bridge in Asheville is to be renamed as a memorial to Capt. Jeff Bowen, an Asheville firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty in July 2011.
The state Board of Transportation voted in April to name the bridge in honor of Bowen with the support of Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Wayne Goodwin, Bowen’s family, the Asheville City Council, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners and firefighters from across the state.
“Capt. Bowen gave his life protecting others,” Goodwin said. “To his family, friends and fellow firefighters, we hope to express our humble gratitude for his and their service and sacrifice.”
Bowen, a 13-year veteran of the Asheville Fire Department, was fatally injured responding to a four-alarm fire in a medical office building on July 28, 2011. Nearly a dozen other firefighters suffered injuries; more than 200 people escaped the building unharmed. The fire was ruled an arson.
Event Details:
Dedication ceremony
Aug. 15, 2012
9 a.m.
Westgate Shopping Center parking lot, adjacent to Smoky Park Bridge
More details will be available prior to the event.
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