Fire erupts in Raleigh home; no one hurt

No one was injured when flames nearly devoured the two-story, wood-frame home in the 500 block of Hanska Way in the Village Lakes subdivision. Neighbors said the home belonged to a young family that was out of town for the weekend.

"That's good that no one was home, but it looks like it's pretty much destroyed," said Rob Johnson, division chief with the Raleigh Fire Department.

Neighbors called 911 to report the fire about 1 a.m., and it took firefighters about 30 minutes to extinguish the blaze. Johnson said he ordered firefighters out at one point when the structure appeared to be unstable.

"The whole back of the house is gone," he said.

Johnson said he couldn't speculate on what may have caused the blaze, which remains under investigation.

Dozens of neighbors gathered outside and watched as flames shot through the roof of the home. Many said they had just gone to bed and were awakened by other neighbors knocking on their doors to warn them.

"We were asleep," said Lewis Kennebrew, who lives next door. "I looked out the window, and I saw fire. I ran and got my family."

Jim Krabill lives across the street in a home that has the same floor plan as the one that burned.

"It's frightening," he said. "I'm glad the folks were out of town."