North Carolina QVC employee dies in massive distribution center fire
Kevon Ricks, 21, was identified as the employee who lost his life
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One employee of a QVC distribution center in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, died in a devastating fire that started in the early hours of Saturday morning, officials announced Sunday.
Search and recover members located the body around 11:30 a.m. and the remains were positively identified as 21-year-old Kevon Ricks at 4:00 p.m., according to the Edgecomb County Sheriff's Office.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Mr. Ricks as well as all team members affected by this tragedy," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
The fire destroyed the "main section" of the massive distribution center, according to Edgecombe County Manager Eric Evans.
The fire started around 2:00 a.m. while about 300 employees were working and destroyed the "main section" of the 1.2 million-square-foot building, Edgecombe County Manager Eric Evans said.
More than 50 agencies from eight counties eventually responded to the massive fire, which burned for at least 16 hours, according to the Rocky Mount fire Department.
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"They’re working very hard to try to protect the remainder of that building," Edgecombe County Manager Eric Evans said Saturday. "Significant loss, but we’re very hopeful that it’s not a total loss and that they’ll be able to rebuild here."
Local and state law enforcement authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said he is "saddened by the loss of life" and "taking steps to help families hurt by the loss of more than 2000 jobs."
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Evans said that QVC is mobilizing a team from their headquarters in Pennsylvania.
"We are currently focused on our team," QVC said in a statement on Saturday. "As we work to understand the full impact of this incident, including any impact to shipping and delivery, we'll share further details. Thank you for your patience."