Sgt. Ferraro arrived on scene first and notified communications that there were visible flames coming out of the eves on the front side of the house.

The homeowner, William Green Jr., evacuated his wife and two small children prior to fire personnel arriving. According to Mr. Green, he started a fire in the wood stove located in the living room and shortly thereafter he noticed a large amount of smoke fill the residence. As he evacuated his family he noticed visible flames coming out of the eves above where the wood stove was located.

After the fire was extinguished, fire personnel performed an investigation confirming the cause of the fire as the wood stove.

The wood stove was located beside the front door inside the residence and was vented through the front wall. It appeared that the metal tubing used to ventilate the smoke from the wood stove became heated enough to cause the wood siding and/or wall studs that were touching the tubing to catch fire. Once ignited, the fire spread vertical through the hollow wall and entered the attic.

Morganton Public Safety notified The American Red Cross and two representatives responded to the residence to assist the family with basic necessities for the immediate future. The occupants of the home escaped without injury, however, PSO Fulp suffered a slight injury to his arm during firefighting operations. PSO Fulp was treated and released.