Raleigh Convention Center Cancels Events After Monday Fire

According to Herbert Griffin, the Fire Chief of Raleigh, the blaze resulted in damages exceeding $2 million.

Raleigh’s mayor, Janet Cowell, stated that temporary roofing will be put in place at the convention center to avert additional water damage.

What was the cause of the fire?

Initial reports suggest that a gas line leak from a heating and air conditioning unit could be responsible.

Given the nature of the building, the Raleigh Convention Center is mandated to undergo annual fire inspections. WRAL Investigates reviewed three separate inspections from 2025.

The latest inspection occurred on May 7, during which nine issues were identified as failures, including the fire alarm system not being inspected and maintained per fire code requirements. The sprinkler system received the same failing assessment.

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In light of the fire that occurred Monday evening at the Raleigh Convention Center, multiple organizations were scheduled to hold their events at the venue starting Wednesday.

City officials in Raleigh have now confirmed to ABC11 that all events planned for December have been canceled.

The 2025 North Carolina AI and Cybersecurity Summit was among these events, originally set to take place from today through tomorrow. Organizers have reached out to attendees to inform them that they are seeking a new location for the symposium. There has been no immediate update on where the conference will be relocated.

Advance Community Health, a local healthcare organization, was planning to host its holiday party at the convention center this Friday evening.