Vacant house fire sends one alleged squatter to burn unit
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on February 2, 2017 7:11 AM
Full SizeFirefighters rescued a man from a second-story window Tuesday night after the house he and several other people were in caught fire and became fully engulfed.
Goldsboro Fire Department responded to a call of a structure fire with one person possibly trapped inside a house at 404 Magnolia St. around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Fire Chief Gary Whaley said the house was up in flames on both of its sides when first responders got to the scene.
Firefighters then saw Donald Shields hanging out of a second-story window of the house, and rescued him by climbing up on ladders and retrieving him.
Whaley said Shields was taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital and then the UNC Burn Center in Chapel Hill for treatment of severe smoke inhalation.
Whaley added that two other occupants of the house made it outside on their own and were taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital by Wayne County EMS for treatment of smoke inhalation.
The fire started because one occupant of the house, Melvin Wax, was burning leaves and debris in some type of pot to stay warm.
Whaley said the occupants of the home said they had permission to be there, but the property owner said they did not. According to a fire report, the property owner told firefighters that he had received complaints of vagrants staying in the home.
There was no electricity or water running to the house, Whaley said.
No charges have been filed in the fire at this time since it was deemed to be accidental, Whaley said.