Fire destroys temporary home of Hurricane Matthew survivor
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on March 1, 2017 8:13 AM
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Firefighters from Arrington, Dudley and Mar-Mac Fire Departments respond to a call of a barn on fire at 181 Burke St. Tuesday around 6 p.m.
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Firefighters from Arrington, Dudley and Mar-Mac Fire Departments respond to a call of a barn on fire at 181 Burke St. Tuesday around 6 p.m.
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Firefighters from Mar-Mac and Dudley fire departments inspect a refrigerator that was inside a tin barn that caught on fire at 181 Burke St. Tuesday night. The one-room barn was being lived in by a woman who had recently moved the structure after flooding caused by Hurricane Matthew.
DUDLEY -- A fire Tuesday night destroyed a small barn which served as a temporary home to a woman who was displaced by Hurricane Matthew in October 2016.
Mar-Mac Fire Rescue Chief Tommy Baker said an electrical short in the building, which sat near 181 Burke St. and was tucked in the back lot of a mobile home park, caused the fire.
Baker said the temporary residence had heavy smoke pouring out of it and flames coming from the bottom front corner when firefighters arrived on scene.
The building, which Lisa Darden was living in, was a total loss.
Darden was also displaced during Hurricane Matthew last year, during which Wayne County saw historical flooding and extensive damage to roads, homes and businesses.
Darden declined to provide comment for this report.
Baker said firefighters forced open the door to the structure and attacked the fire inside, knocking it down and extinguishing it.
Firefighters pulled out badly-charred items from inside the temporary home on scene Tuesday night after the flames had died.
Several railroad closures that blocked off roads between Darden's home and responding fire departments delayed Mar-Mac Fire Rescue's response time, Baker confirmed.
The railroad crossing closures did not affect Dudley Fire Department's response time, Baker said.
The precise location of all railroad crossing closures around the county Tuesday night could not be confirmed by press time.
In addition to Dudley Fire Department and Mar-Mac Fire Rescue, Arrington Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the fire.
The American Red Cross responded to the scene and will be helping Darden find somewhere to stay.
Anyone interested in helping Darden can contact the American Red Cross of Wayne County at 919-735-7201.