Investigators are still not sure how it started, but a mid-day fire at a home in Caldwell County gutted the house and took the life of one man.
The fire happened off of Woods Drive in Granite Falls.
It could have been worse, said officials. A woman and a small child escaped unharmed and another man was pulled from the burning home.
The man who was pulled out is the son of the victim. His cousin, Erica Leon, said he had gone back into the home to try to save his dad. The smoke and flames were too much for both, said Erica. At one point, she says, the son knew his dad would not make it.
“He said his goodbyes with his dad,” Leon said.
At that point, she believes the father died and the son started crawling out. That’s when city workers ran in, grabbed the son and dragged him to safety. At about the same time, firefighters pulled the father out. The son survived. The dad did not.