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Fire heavily damages home in Caldwell County on New Year's Day

LENOIR, N.C. — A fire heavily damaged a home Monday morning in Lenoir.

Firefighters said the road had iced over from the water used on the fire in the freezing temperatures.

"About as soon as we started letting water hit the ground, it started freezing,” Lenoir firefighter Andrew Lafone said. “It's doing a little better since the sun is hitting it."

Three people made it out of the home, officials said.

The fire chief said one of the things there are looking at is whether the fire was started because of a portable heater.

The home did have heat but because it got so cold overnight, the family was also using a space heater to stay warm.