Fire on A Street displaces family
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on November 29, 2017 5:27 PM
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Firefighters from the Goldsboro Fire Department respond to a house fire at 102 A St. Wednesday afternoon.
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Firefighters climb on top of the house at 102 A St. to put out a part of the fire that had reached the attic.
A fire severely damaged a home at 102 A St. and displaced the family that lived there Wednesday afternoon.
Quanisha Whitfield, resident of the home and mother to four children, was inside with her 11-year-old and 4-year-old when the blaze started.
She managed to get the children and her dog out safely without injury.
Her other two children were not home at the time of the fire.
There are mixed accounts that vary slightly in detail of what caused the fire, but Whitfield said she used a match to light her cigarette and then threw it down.
She said the match must have hit the mattress near the front of the home and caught it on fire.
Capt. Ron Stempien with the Goldsboro Fire Department said the fire began near the front of the house. He added the front of the home had significant burn damage and there was smoke damage throughout the back of the home.
Authorities were unable to confirm Whitfield's account of the fire at the time of this report.
Whitfield said she had been told the American Red Cross was being called to help the family.
In addition to the Goldsboro Fire Department, Wayne County EMS and the Goldsboro Police Department also responded.
At the time of this report, authorities were unable to determine if the home was a total loss, and the investigation was ongoing.