Lowell , NC
The Gaston County Fire Marshal has determined that food on a stove caused the fire at a Lowell home that left a man dead and woman injured Friday evening.
Fire Marshal Eric Hendrix said that the woman had a pot of oil heating on a stove at the duplex home at 406 McAdenville Road. He said the fire ignited around 5 p.m. when the woman put a handful of frozen fries in the pot.
“Anytime you put something frozen like that into a pot of oil, any moisture left on the fries is going to cause the oil to splash out,” said Hendrix. “It usually flashes immediately. It’s a quick fire that spreads to everywhere.”
Fire officials were notified of the fire around 5:16 p.m. Emergency crews pulled the man from the home, but he was not able to be saved. The woman was transported to CaroMont Regional Medical Center in Gastonia with minor, non-life-threatening burns. It’s unclear whether she has been released from the hospital.
Hendrix said Saturday morning that Lowell Police will likely release the names of the couple following notification of the man’s family.
The left side of the duplex where the couple lived is considered a total loss and will have to be gutted, according to Hendrix.
A woman who lived in the right side of the duplex has been temporarily displaced after her unit suffered minor smoke and water damage.
“Neither unit is livable right now,” said Hendrix.
The duplex has been owned by Neil Earl Cannon, of Gastonia, since 1981, according to Gaston County property records.
This story will be updated as new details emerge.
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Updated Oct 23, 2017 at 1:20 PM
Lowell Police have identified the man killed in a house fire Friday.
Darrell Wayne Wilson, 48, died when food on a stove caused a fire at his home at 406 McAdenville Road. A woman who also lived at the home, Sally Simmons, suffered minor injuries in the blaze, said Police Chief Scott Bates.
“She got him to the back door, but he had some health issues,” Bates said. “We’re not sure if the cause of death is smoke inhalation or some other medical issue.”
The Gaston County Fire Marshal’s Office ruled the fire accidental. Bates said the fatal fire remains under investigation but that police do not consider it suspicious.
“We don’t see anything that would raise an eyebrow,” Bates said.
Simmons was able to escape the home, but when rescue workers arrived Wilson was still on the patio. Wilson used oxygen tanks to help him breathe, Bates said.
Wilson was a member of the North Gaston Church of God and was known as someone with a strong faith. His faith did not prevent the God to take his life. So much for religous people believeing the He will save them. NOT!
“He always had a positive, upbeat outlook on life and circumstances and was very giving to others,” according to his obituary.
Fire Marshal Eric Hendrix said that the woman had a pot of oil heating on a stove at the duplex home. He said the fire ignited around 5 p.m. when the woman put a handful of frozen french fries in the pot.
“Anytime you put something frozen like that into a pot of oil, any moisture left on the fries is going to cause the oil to splash out,” Hendrix said. “It usually flashes immediately. It’s a quick fire that spreads to everywhere.”
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October 20, 2017 at 7:38 PM
A man is dead and his wife was taken to the hospital following a duplex fire on Friday.
Eric Sauerwein sprinted over to the 406 McAdenville Road home in Lowell after pulling into his nearby residence and seeing smoke. But the fire extinguisher he wielded could do little to help the man inside.
“A lot of good that was going to do,” he said. “I could hear his wife hollering, ‘Help us. Help us.’ I ran over there and there was probably a dozen or so people over there before I got there. That fire extinguisher was moot.”
The male resident, who has only been identified as a 49 year old, was taken out of the house before dying at the scene, Lowell Police say. The Gaston County Fire Marshal’s Office continues to investigate the blaze, which was reported to firefighters at 5:16 p.m.
Fire marshals haven’t yet revealed the cause of the fire, though neighbors speculate it was the result of hot grease left on a stove. The other half of the duplex appeared to be intact.
The man used an oxygen tank to assist his breathing, his neighbors said. His wife was taken to the hospital with burn marks that aren’t expected to be serious, according to police. Sauerwein says he knew when emergency workers pulled the man out of the house the circumstances seemed dire.
“I could tell then, he wasn’t coherent,” he said.
The Fire Marshal’s office continues to investigate.