Public Housing Complex Suffers Damage in Fire

From the street, the public housing complex appears normal.

But that was not the case Friday night when Chapel Hill Fire Department officials responded to a fire that caused $50,000 worth of damage to the residence and forced its residents to find another place to stay.

Yellow fire tape completes the setting and fences in the manicured lawn where the one-story public housing complex sits and where the smell of a partially charred building still permeates the air.

At 10:02 p.m. Friday night, the fire department dispatched three trucks to the reported structure fire.

When fire department officials arrived, they found smoke coming from the building.

Officials also discovered a small fire in the bedroom, which was reportedly extinguished quickly.

The extent of the damage to the interior or exterior of the building has yet to be finalized.

No injuries, either to residents or fire personnel, were reported.

The residents found shelter with friends, officials reported Friday.

Neighbors say the residents, a 28-year-old Tar Heel Temp employee and her two children -- one boy and one girl -- had lived at the home for more than four years.

The woman, who neighbors also say worked as a hairdresser, had plans to open a day care center from her residence.

She could not be reached for comment Monday.

Chapel Hill police and Orange County Emergency Medical Service assisted the fire department with the late-night call.

Assistant Fire Marshall Rodney Watson is investigating the cause of the fire and could not be reached Monday for comment.

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.