Neighbor saves woman in house fire

A man leaving for work Wednesday morning just before 7 a.m. noticed smoke pouring out of his neighbor’s house on Lenoir Drive and rushed into action.

David Vanhoy, Shelby Fire and Rescue's assistant fire chief, said the man called 911 and kicked the door open, but there was too much smoke for him to enter the house.

Vanhoy said the first fire department unit was on scene at 7:02 a.m. and was met with heavy smoke conditions.

“A rescue team was sent in to search and found a 55-year-old female unconscious in the laundry room,” he said. “She was rescued and transported by Cleveland County EMS.”

According to police, the woman has been airlifted to a Duke burn unit for carbon monoxide poisoning.

The source of the fire is still under investigation by Shelby Police and the Fire Marshal’s Office, but they believe it started from an appliance in the kitchen.

Vanhoy said the blaze was contained by 7:08 a.m.

“The crews did excellent work to not only rescue her but also contain the fire both so quickly,” he said.

Vanhoy said seven cats were also found inside, but they all died of smoke inhalation.

Reporter Rebecca Sitzes can be reached at rsitzes@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: House fire injures woman, kills cats