Driver saves woman from Mount Olive blaze
By Andrew Bell
Published in News on January 18, 2006 1:50 PM
An unidentified driver who just happened to be passing by a Mount Olive fire this morning helped a local woman escape the blaze.
Mount Olive Fire Department officials said Evelyn Anderson, of 452 Bakers Chapel Church Road, was sleeping when her home caught on fire at about 6:30 a.m. this morning.
Fire Chief Steve Martin said an unidentified man was driving by in his white Chevy Z-71 truck when he noticed the fire and called the fire department using his cell phone.
The driver pulled his vehicle over and knocked on the doors and windows of the home, trying to alert any occupants, Martin said. The noise awakened Mrs. Anderson, who then escaped through a back door.
Mrs. Anderson was taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital by Wayne County EMS Station 9, which is based in Mount Olive, to be treated for smoke inhalation.
A hospital spokesperson said she was treated and released.
Although Mrs. Anderson lived through the experience, Martin said the house was destroyed by the blaze.
The fire department said there is no determined cause of the fire, but Martin said firefighters would continue the investigation.
He added, however, that the strong winds throughout the night and early morning could have contributed to the fire's ferocity.
"Anytime you get winds like that blowing, the only thing a fire needs to keep going is air," Martin said.
The Dudley and Smith Chapel fire departments also assisted in controlling the blaze.