THOMASVILLE, N.C. — Two people are dead after a house fire in Thomasville Monday night, according to fire officials.
Officials have confirmed the fire was accidental and said no foul play was suspected.
WFMY News 2 was able to speak with the homeowner, James Hopkins, who said it was his wife and son who died in the fire.
"The more we talk about it, it hurts, because if you don’t have an answer for it, you can’t do anything but cry,” said Oris Hopkins, brother of James Hopkins.
Just two years ago, James Hopkins lost one of his adult sons. Monday night, he lost the other and his wife after leaving for work.
“I told my son good night. My wife was getting ready to lay down for the night, I gave her a kiss good night and told her I would see her in the morning,” Hopkins said.
Thomasville Fire and Rescue said they were called to 107 Carolina Avenue at 9:23 p.m. to a single-family home. When firefighters arrived, the fire was "heavily involved," and flames were blazing through the roof. The heat from the fire was beaming through the house, melting the siding on a neighboring house.
Firefighters couldn't get into the house at first because of heavy flames and the roof falling in.
Once the fire was under control, fire crews were able to get in, and that's when they found two people dead.
“I’m trying to be strong. I can't show weakness because that doesn’t do anything but make it worse,” Hopkins said.
A nearby neighbor told WFMY News 2 they called for help Monday night when they saw the fire and tried saving the two people inside.
Ring camera footage from the home across the street shows how bad the fire got.
"I run up onto the door there and try, you know, bang on the door, letting them know there's a fire because I wasn't sure if anybody was home or not. And I heard like a moaning, groaning sound and I tried to kick down the door, I got the screen door open but couldn't do anything else because the door was locked and the big puff of smoke came out,” said Christopher Griffen.
Thomasville Fire & Rescue received on-scene assistance from Thomasville Police Department, Davidson County EMS, Duke Energy, and the American Red Cross.
Fire officials are working to determine the exact cause of the fire.
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