Full Notification

$1,000.00 REWARD OFFERED

Visit Facebook.com/broadrivervfd or www.broadriverfire.org for more information and photos of sign. Please share with as many people as you can and help us recover the sign.


Sometime between Thursday Dec. 28th and the morning of Saturday Dec 30th a person or person(s) felt the need to steal the fire departments Smokey the Bear & Fire Danger sign located on NC Hwy 9. PATHETIC! Our FD Auxiliary worked extremely hard raising over $1200 for a such a childish person to have nothing better to do than steal it. These ladies are the same ones who spent not hours but days caring for firefighters and residents during the Party Rock Fire treating every single one as their own family. The community rallied together offering a Reward for information that leads to the arrest of those responsible and hopefully the return of Smokey. Some may find this funny or just a prank but it’s more than a sign to most. Those who raised the funding to purchase it years ago are good community people who care about others beyond theirselves.
If anyone has any information please report to the Buncombe County Sheriffs Office at 828-255-5555 or contact a member of the fire department. You have our Promise that you will remain anonymous.
Below is a photo of the sign when it was first placed. This is a large sign made of metal. Residents frequently watch the fire danger which the department changes based on local conditions. Our sign aside the Broad River Community has experienced a larger than normal amount of thefts and B&E’s over the past couple years. If you see a suspicious person or vehicle not just in our area but anywhere please report it to law enforcement or at minimum take a photo to include the plates. Help stop others. Most people do not have a lot but they worked for and earned what they have.

WLOS News 13, Fox News and others have supported the department helping to get the word spread. The calls offering funds to go towards the reward and just general concern have been great.

We would encourage the person(s) responsible to return the sign immediately.