Child found in burning mobile home has died, NC cops say. Now there’s an investigation
Update: On Feb. 14, officials said a man was facing charges tied to the deadly fire. Read more information here.
Original story: A child was killed when a mobile home caught fire in North Carolina, officials said.
The youngster was found dead after first responders went to a burning home on Sunday, Nov. 21, according to the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office.
“The firefighters with North Lenoir and La Grange worked quickly to rescue the victims and extinguish the blaze,” Sheriff Ronnie Ingram said in a news release. “I know they did everything they could to prevent this sad loss of life. My hat is off to them for their professional dedication to volunteer for their community.”
Now, there’s an investigation into the deadly blaze, which was reported at about 1:30 a.m. on Water Chestnut Drive. The street is in Kinston, roughly 80 miles southeast of Raleigh.
Wanda Crosier, who lives in the area, told WITN she saw the color red and thought there was an ambulance at a trailer park. She later realized it came from flames engulfing a home.
“Lenoir County EMS treated three patients at the scene,” the sheriff’s office said. “Unfortunately, though, there was a juvenile inside the home and the juvenile passed away in the fire.”
Ingram said the fire left “very substantial” damage in its path. Video from WITN shows the charred remains of the home as well as damage to a car and other items at the scene.
Deputies in their news release didn’t say what caused the fire but said the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and the state fire marshal’s office are helping Lenoir County officials to investigate. The sheriff’s office also didn’t list the child’s cause of death.
“Our hearts go out to this family which lost a young person in this tragedy this morning,” Ingram said in the Nov. 21 release. “We ask that our community pray for this family in its time of need.”
This story was originally published November 22, 2021 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Child found in burning mobile home has died, NC cops say. Now there’s an investigation."
