RFP Staff
♦ Sunday morning neighbors called 911 dispatch to report a fire billowing smoke from a wood-framed house on ice and snow covered Gold Hill Drive near Faith Road in Salisbury. Off-duty firefighters from the Salisbury Fire department were first on the scene and found an elderly woman, who lived alone, laying on the ground by the front of her house. The woman suffered from burns to her back and arms. They moved her further away from the burning house and smoke and stayed with her until emergency services transported her to Novant Health Rowan Medical Center. Later she was transported to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. The extent of her injuries are not yet known.
The Salisbury Fire Department, first on the scene, arrived just after 8:30 a.m. with thick clouds of smoke pouring out of the front of the wooden structure and quickly got the fire under control with a high volume of water. The fire was declared under control just before 9 a.m. The front part of the house was severely damaged and the rest of house suffered extensive smoke damage. The house likely will be judged uninhabitable.
The elderly woman’s dog, who lived outside, was removed from the premises by Rowan County Animal Control who will take care of the pet until it can be reunited with the owner.
Live power lines were downed outside the house so Duke Power was alerted to remedy the potential hazard.
The cause of the fire is yet unknown. The fire remains under investigation.
