SELMA – Johnston County Fire Marshal investigators reported that a woman was injured Sunday morning in an accidental fire which heavily damaged a landmark Johnston County business.
Firefighters reported smoke and flames coming from the front window of Popeye’s Gas and Grill at 6425 NC Highway 96 North, north of Selma, when they arrived shortly after 10:30am.
The injured employee had been cleaning the grill when the fire broke out. She attempted to extinguish the flames before firefighters arrived. She was transported to the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill for treatment of serious injuries.
Thanks in part to a very quick firefighter response, although the contents of the building were heavily damaged, the building remained structurally sound.
Northside, Selma, Wilson’s Mills and Antioch fire departments along with three Johnston County EMS units and two supervisors were on the scene with the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, Johnston County Building inspections and Johnston County Health Department representatives.
Highway 96 was shut down and traffic was rerouted for about an hour.
