Electrical fire displaces family
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on August 10, 2016 1:46 PM
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Seth Combs
Linda Benton, left, speaks with Goldsboro Fire Chief Gary Whaley and Goldsboro housing authority staff about the fire in her home that occurred while she was told to be away for a routine cleaning of beds and belongings. The fire is believed to have started when housing authority staff were in Benton's home on Tuesday.
A structure fire at 1106-B Olivia Lane early Tuesday afternoon has displaced a family after an electrical fire started in the attic while the family was having their home treated for bed bugs.
According to Goldsboro Fire Department Capt. Vaden Lee, the Goldsboro Housing Authority was treating the residence at 1106 B Olivia Lane for bed bugs, and the equipment that was being used overloaded a circuit in the house.
"What we think happened is that Goldsboro Housing Authority was treating that house for bed bugs, and they use high temperatures to kill bed bugs, and they overloaded the circuit in the attic and it caught fire," Lee said.
The residence is occupied by Linda Benton and her three children, and the fire in the residence reportedly started around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
According to Rodney Robinson, 19, Ms. Benton's first cousin, Ms. Benton was told to be out of her home on Tuesday so it could be treated for bed bugs.
Lee said the fire, which started in the attic, was small and only caused minimal damage and burned a four-square-foot area in the residence.
Lee said the fire department used water to "knock back" the fire and applied foam to extinguish any hot spots in the residence.
According to Lee, the residence would need electrical work done before the family could occupy the residence again. Firefighters were able to save most, if not all, of Ms. Benton's belongings.
The scene was cleared by the Goldsboro Fire Department at approximately 1:40 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.