Wood heater sparks kitchen fire
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on February 16, 2017 12:32 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
A kitchen fire at a home at 313 Wilmington Ave. Thursday morning started as the resident was pouring gas into a wood heater, fire officials said. No injuries were reported.
No one was injured when a man accidentally set fire to his kitchen while trying to start a heater at 313 Wilmington Ave. Thursday, said Goldsboro Fire Department Assistant Chief Frank Sasser.
Sasser said that the occupant, 64-year-old Vernon McKenzie, was trying to start a wood heater, and that the fire sprang from that. McKenzie said that, while pouring gas into the heater, the container he was using to hold the gas caught fire, forcing him to leave the residence.
"I just dropped it and looked for help," he said.
Goldsboro firefighters got the call at about 11 a.m. and Engines 1 and 4 were first to arrive.
Smoke could be seen coming from the front door of the residence ---- a white, one-story building containing two apartments, Sasser said.
Engines 2 and 3 arrived soon after.
Sasser said the resident of the other apartment was not home at the time of the fire, and their name was not known at the time.
McKenzie was unharmed, and the outside of the structure was intact. The extent of the damage inside the building was unclear.