Two die in Goldsboro fire
By Turner Walston
Published in News on July 17, 2005 2:04 AM
Two people were killed when a fire destroyed the house they were renting early Saturday morning.
Roy Chester Rowe, 48, and Patricia Ann Raynor, 38, were found by Goldsboro firefighters at 206 N. George Street just before 4 a.m. Firefighters arrived with Emergency Medical Technicians.
Danny Cobb, customer service supervisor with the Goldsboro postal service, said he was driving to work when he saw the home ablaze.
"I saw flames shooting out of the top of the building," he said.
Cobb said he turned into the parking lot of Aggie's Steak & Subs on at the corner of Ash and George streets and called 911. Before firefighters arrived, Cobb said he ran over to the home to determine if it was occupied.
"I started beating on the windows and doors. Two people came running out," he said.
Lt. Carlton Parks of the Goldsboro Fire Department said he thought there were six occupants of the home. According to police, all other tenants escaped unharmed or were not home at the time of the fire.
Parks said 16 firefighters were part of the initial response, with four engines.
"It was very difficult to put out," Parks said.
"That was a get-down dirty fire," said Assistant Fire Chief Gary Whaley. "The two victims were pulled out while the roof was caving in," he said.
Given the difficulty and the heat, Whaley said firefighters did an exceptional job. No firefighters were injured in the blaze.
Owner D.J. Rose rented the home to the individuals who were inside.
"I'm still trying to get the details," said Rose on Saturday morning.
"Everybody that comes up off the street has a story to tell," he said.
Rose said the home, part of the Goldsboro Historical District, was built in 1927.
"I know they'll be sad to lose the house," he said. "Just as I am."
The cause of the fire is still under investigation by Goldsboro police and the State Bureau of Investigation.