Firefighters from multiple agencies responded to a two-alarm fire at Jibsail Road, on High Rock Lake, after neighbors called 911 on Wednesday.
The homeowner, Wanda Hutchens, was in the kitchen baking cookies when her dog alerted her. She went to the laundry room door leading into the garage after she heard her dog barking. Hutchens, who has lived at the home for about 15 years with her husband, Ken, walked into the garage and saw smoke. She searched for her other dog and managed to get them all out of the house with mionr injuries.
A rescue worker checked Hutchens’ arm and wrist area. Neighbors and friends stood around Hutchens, who sat in a chair and was wrapped in blankets and a coat.
She tried to call 911, but the phone line apparently was damaged in the fire. The home was completely destroyed. The house sits at the end of a cul-de-sac on Jibsail Road, off Mainsail Road on High Rock Lake. Firefighters shuttled water to a collapsible water tank in order to get more water on the fire. The following fire and emergency personnel responded: Millers Ferry Fire, Ellis Cross Country Fire, Union Fire, Churchland Fire, West Liberty Fire, East Spencer Fire and Rowan County Rescue Squad.
Although Hutchens said the fire appeared to have begun in the garage and neighbors also initially saw flames coming from the garage, fire officials have not confirmed an origin or a cause.