GRIFTON — Two people are dead after a Thursday morning house fire on Skeeter Pond Road.
Hazel Wilkes, 75, and her husband Theodore, 81, perished in their home some time before 9 a.m. Thursday.
The Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office released the names late Thursday afternoon, but a family friend at the scene confirmed the identity of the couple.
Hugo Volunteer Fire Department Chief Johnny Craft said the 911 call came in at 8:53 a.m.
“The first truck was on the scene at 9:02, and at that time the structure was fully involved — all rooms, windows and such,” Craft said. “We had received — in transit, when we were on the way — that there were possibly people trapped.”
Neighbors and friends gathered near the home as they dealt with the loss.
Minnie Holton knew the couple for decades.
“I feel sadly hurt. Sadly hurt,” Holton said. “Because I was real close to them — she was like a second mother to me. I’ve been knowing Hazel since I was about 10 years old, and I’m 53, 54 this year. That’s a long time knowing a person and being close to a person. I’m devastated and hurt and very emotional right now.”
Hazel Wilkes was known for her way with telling stories.
“She would sit there and say, ‘I remember it like yesterday,’ and tell different stories,” Holton said. “I’d sit there and listen because, you know, you have somebody tell you about your past. Tell you about your mama and daddy that you don’t remember yourself. I miss that, coming here and talking to her about the past.”
A total of nine fire trucks from four departments attended to the fire, which firefighters extinguished by 9:08 a.m. In addition to Hugo, crews from Hookerton, North Lenoir and Sand Hill assisted. Craft said he anticipated to be working the location throughout the day.
The State Bureau of Investigations, Lenoir County Emergency Services and the LCSO determined the fire started in the house’s electrical wiring.
“Electrical fires are found to be the culprit in many residential fires,” Sheriff Chris Hill said in a statement. “I am begging citizens to inspect their exposed wiring and to make sure it is not run under carpets, or in areas that would create wear on the insulation that encases the wiring.”
Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 or wes.wolfe@kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.
ORIGINAL REPORT:
Two people are dead as a result of a house fire in Grifton. Nine fire trucks from four departments responded to a 911 call at 8:53 a.m. Thursday, with Hugo Volunteer Fire Department receiving word en route that two people may have been in the structure. Firefighters arrived at the scene on Skeeter Pond Road at 9:02 a.m., finding the home fully engulfed in flames. They put out the fire in minutes and confirmed the two fatalities.
Though the names have not been officially released, a family friend confirmed the couple was Hazel and Theodore Wilkes.