Members of C-Shift who took part in the Jan. 17th call to Candlewood drive: L-R: Chief Damien Locklear, Terry Swinson, A.G. Deaver, Z.A. Chase, A.J. Hardy, F. Riehle, Brad Garrett, Commander W.S. Justice. Photo by Catherine Hardee / Neuse News

A mid-January house fire in Kinston emphasizes the importance of homes having working smoke detectors.

Chief Damien Locklear of the Kinston Department of Fire and Rescue said the blaze that damaged a home at 708 Candlewood Dr. on January 17 came very close to being deadly.

Locklear said a resident in the home heard a popping sound that she determined to be coming from a fire in the house. She was able to get outside and flag down a passerby in order to call 911. She advised the dispatcher that her son, Anthony Swinson, was still inside the home, so when crews arrived on the scene, they quickly went to work to locate anyone still inside. 

Captain Terry Swinson and Acting Captain AJ Hardy were part of the crew that entered the burning home. Captain Swinson said Firefighter Steven Miller was the one who located the unconscious Anthony Swinson in a smoke-filled bedroom. Miller carried the unconscious man out into the hallway while Swinson and Hardy knocked down flames so he could be carried outside without further injury. 

Even though rescues of this type are fortunately rare, Hardy said he and all the other members of the KDFR train daily for this exact scenario. 

“Destiny favors the prepared,” Hardy said. 

“When the call came over the radio that there was actually somebody in a bedroom, the adrenaline kicked in because you know there is somebody in there and you are going to search until you find them,” Capt. Swinson said. “You work hard every day for moments like that when the training pays off.” 

For Locklear, even though he is proud of how his department performed and thankful that they were able to save Swinson’s life, the incident serves to further illustrate the importance of the KDFR’s ongoing program to help ensure every home is outfitted with working smoke detectors.

When the firefighters entered the home on the evening of the 17th, they noted the absence of any alarm from a smoke detector, Locklear said. 

“It is vital to have smoke alarms in every home,” Locklear said.

Toward that end, the KDFR offers assistance to citizens in the form of free in-home smoke detector checks and free smoke detector installation. 

Anyone interested in the smoke detector program can call the KDFR at (252) 939-3164 and ask to speak to Administrative Assistant Jessi Tyler to schedule a visit.