Two families displaced, animals perish in Pikeville fire
By Melody Brown-Peyton
Published in News on February 21, 2018 6:42 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Kristi Golden bags up as much of the perishable food in her refrigerator as she can following a house fire that filled her house with smoke shortly after midnight Wednesday morning. The fire broke out just outside of her back door leaving her kitchen covered in soot and most of possessions with smoke damage.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
A fire that broke out in a duplex at 500 and 502 N Goldsboro St. shortly after midnight Wednesday morning has three adults and one child displaced. Two dogs and two cats died in the fire despite rescue attempts by their owners and firefighters.
PIKEVILLE -- Two families lost their belongings and family pets when a fire engulfed their Pikeville duplex Wednesday.
The fire, which destroyed their home during the early morning hours, also claimed the lives of two dogs and two cats.
Two families, which were living in the duplex at 500 N. Goldsboro St., awoke to flames ripping through the home around midnight.
Kristi Golden, owner of the duplex along with her mother, has lived in the home for the past 13 years.
"I don't know what I'm going to do," Golden said. "I have lost everything."
Golden was sleeping but woke up when a friend, Scott Darlymple, started running through the home and alerted her that there was a fire and she needed to get out.
As they were trying to escape, they attempted to save the cats but due to the heavy smoke that was engulfing the home, they were only able to save two, she said.
A family of three, including a 2-year-old boy, who lived on the other side of the duplex, made it out safely, but their two dogs did not survive the blaze. Darlymple suffered burns to his hand and ear and was being treated at Wayne UNC Health Care.
Wayne County Fire Marshal Bryan Taylor said that cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Golden said she doesn't have any homeowner's insurance, after a financial hardship resulted in her allowing the policy to lapse.
"I'm on disability and have been faced with financial difficulties," she said.
The Wayne County American Red Cross is assisting both families.