A wood frame house nearly a half mile off the roadway was destroyed by flames Friday afternoon.
The blaze was reported at a house in a heavily wooded area off Mudham Road in northern Johnston County.
Neighbors first smelled smoke and called 911 after discovering their distant neighbor’s home on fire. When the first emergency responders arrived at the scene the house was fully engulfed.
A woman lived alone in the house but was away at the time the fire broke out. She returned home while firefighters from Corinth-Holders, Archer Lodge and Zebulon were fighting to put the fire out. The house and its contents was a total loss. The woman has no 
insurance to cover the losses.
Responders were able to rescue and save at least 5 small kittens. Some were newborns with their umbilical cords still attached. They were resuscitated at the scene and all spent the night in an emergency animal hospital.
Family members who gathered at the scene said the same house had caught fire 22-years ago.
Photos by John Payne
