CLAYTON – A large fire has caused major damage to a home on Ashley Woods Court near the Neuse River Parkway in the Flowers Plantation community.
The fire was reported Friday at 6:47 p.m. The first fire engines arrived on the scene within three and a half minutes, but flames were still coming from the windows of the large house.
A 15-year-old girl and her friend first discovered a small fire on the balcony of a home across the street. They ran to the burning house to warn the occupants. Emerson Hartley and his friend kicked the screened-in porch to free the dog and cat.
Northside Fire, Clayton Fire, and Collins Holder Fire personnel responded to the scene and extinguished the blaze.
Firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to an adjoining home, but the vinyl siding on the home next door melted.
Flowers Plantation management offered the evacuated woman and her daughter a fully furnished apartment nearby. The Red Cross responded and provided relief. Neighbors arrived and offered to help the victim in any way they could.
The Johnston County Fire Marshal's Office has begun an investigation into the cause of the fire.
