‘I pretty much had to grab him’: Neighbors help family escape fire that destroyed Burke County home

BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — Neighbors jumped into action to help a family escape a Burke County home that was up in flames early Tuesday morning.

The fire destroyed the home on Virginia Pine Circle near Icard.

Firefighters told Channel 9′s Dave Faherty that when they arrived at the home, the fire had already burned through the roof.

There were three people inside, including a couple with physical disabilities. All three people made it out, but one person was rushed to the hospital to be assessed.

Faherty found out neighbors went in to rescue the people inside. A neighbor told Faherty he heard his dogs barking and when he looked outside, he could see the home on fire. He said he didn’t even put his shoes on before running over, concerned for the couple, who both have physical disabilities, stuck inside the home.

Four different fire departments worked to put the fire out and more than three hours after it started, Channel 9 crews could still see them working on hot spots.

Neighbor Jeremiah Brittain said when he got to the house, the couple was in their basement with the fire quickly spreading upstairs. One of the owners was still trying to get out belongings.

“I pretty much had to grab him, and I said there ain’t no way we can get anymore out of it. It was already starting to fall in downstairs. I finally got him drug out of there and his wife and we went around the side of the house. The car was on fire and the whole roof started coming in then.”

Investigators are still looking into what started the fire.

The Red Cross has responded to assist the family with clothing and a place to stay.

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