Fire destroys Jones County family's home

No one was injured in a fire that destroyed a farmhouse in eastern Jones County on Monday.

Firefighters responded to the Michael and Brenda Meade residence at 5162 County Road E17 around 5 p.m. and found smoke coming from the two-story house, officials said. No one was home.

Onslow Fire Chief Darrin Schaefer said crews spent the next seven hours extinguishing the blaze, which gutted the home. An excavator was brought to level the charred walls and fully extinguish the fire, he said.

“The structure was pretty well involved (with fire),” Schaefer said. “There were no flames showing when we arrived, but upon entry we found the interior involved with fire.”

Damage was heavy throughout the home. Shaefer said he had not completed his investigation to determine a cause for the blaze.

Firefighters from four other towns – Cascade, Center Junction, Oxford Junction and Wyoming – assisted at the scene, along with the Jones County Sheriff's Department and Midland Ambulance.