Family cat survives blaze after Durham home gutted by fire; 2nd area house fire in a day

DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — A family’s cat survived a fire that gutted most of a Durham home early Sunday morning.

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The large fire is the second in southern Durham in about 24 hours, after a blaze late Friday night and early Saturday damaged a nearby home in the 7000 block of Chesley Drive.

The Sunday fire was reported around 1 a.m. along Goldflower Drive near Lyons Farm Elementary School off Scott King Road, according to a Durham Fire Department news release.

The Chesley Drive fire is located about a mile north in the same neighborhood south of Interstate 40.

Residents were at home at the time of the Sunday morning blaze but escaped with no injuries.

“Upon arrival, crews had a large amount of fire showing from the side of the house that had extended into the attic,” fire officials said in the Sunday fire news release.

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Photos from the scene showed heavy damage to the garage side of the home, with significant damage to the rear of the home.

A home next to the fire sustained heat damage.

“Crews did a good job getting lines in place to extinguish the fire on the exterior and advancing hose lines into the attic to stop the spread of the fire,” Durham Fire Division Chief Bryan Baker wrote in the release.

Soon, crews were able to search the home and discovered a pet inside.

“A cat was found still alive inside and returned to the owners,” Baker said.

Four adults, a child, and the cat have been displaced and are being assisted by the Red Cross.

Like the Friday night fire, the Cary Fire Department assisted with the firefighting efforts.

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The fire marshal’s office is on scene conducting their investigation.