CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Two people have died and two others are injured after an early-morning house fire in east Charlotte, according to the Charlotte Fire Department.
Around 7 a.m. on Saturday, crews responded to the 5300 block of Donnefield Drive and saw heavy smoke and fire when they arrived.
One person made it out of the home and was treated for smoke inhalation before being taken to an area hospital with what Medic described as life-threatening injuries. Officials said a firefighter was also transported to a local hospital out of caution for non-life-threatening injuries. They are expected to be fine and make a full recovery.
“I hope he survived him and his wife and I didn’t just it’s very sad to me to hear about that,” said neighbor Mohamed Shehata.
Once it was safe to go inside, crews found two people dead inside.
“When I first saw it, it kind of like made me start shaking. I kind of, like, got a little bit nervous and just the emotional part of it to know that I know him personally. Bit of a strong impact,” said neighbor Kevin Powell Jr.
Officials said it was hard to get inside right away because firefighters were “met with extreme hoarding conditions inside the residence.” About 10 minutes after arriving, firefighters had to evacuate due to the lack of structural integrity.
“I hope he survived him and his wife and I didn’t just it’s very sad to me to hear about that,” Shehata said.
It took about 90 minutes for 30 firefighters to control the blaze. Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire.
“Our firefighters worked tirelessly under extremely hazardous conditions to bring this fire under control,” Charlotte Fire Chief Reginald Johnson said. “This tragic loss of life is deeply felt by our department and the community. Our thoughts are with the victims’ families.”
This is a Developing Story. Check back for updates
