LELAND, N.C. (WECT) – Leland Fire Rescue crews fought a house fire in the Waterford community Friday afternoon.

According to the Town of Leland spokesperson, the fire was reported just before 1:15 p.m. on Friday in the 1000 block of Wind Lake Way.

The town says that nobody was home, but three dogs were killed in the fire.

Leland Fire Chief Ronnie Hayes says EMS arrived in under 5 minutes, as they were already in the neighborhood on a medical call.

Hayes says they had the fire under control quickly, but it took them about an hour to make sure the flames didn’t rekindle.

Hayes says the cause of the fire could have been related to the storm that blew in Friday afternoon.

“We’re not exactly sure. It’s possibly a lightning strike. The neighbor said he heard a loud boom, who called it in, but we’re not 100% sure,” Hayes said.

First responders from Leland, Navassa, Winnabow, Northwest and the city of Wilmington were all called in to assist.

It has not been determined whether or not the home is a total loss.

The fire has since been extinguished and the cause is being investigated.

Copyright 2024 WECT. All rights reserved.