Pine straw a factor in fire's rapid growth

Fire Marshal Rusty Styons said his office is conducting a thorough investigation and will present its findings to the city's fire chief and command staff for review.

"Our investigation will include an assessment of flammable ground cover’s contribution to this incident," he said. "We are highly motivated to determining how best to reduce the likelihood of a reoccurrence of this type of incident."

Flames tore through seven homes in the 200 block of Armadale Lane, in the Highland Creek subdivision, Tuesday evening, displacing 11 people, authorities said.

A preliminary investigation found that the fire likely started in the grass between two houses. Witnesses said the houses caught fire like matchboxes as flames spread from one to the other.

Gusty winds and the close proximity of the homes were also factors in the fire's rapid spread, authorities said.

A pair of fires under similar situations three years ago led to changes in the building codes at the city and state levels.

Pine straw next to the homes contributed to the rapid spread of the fire, authorities said, and vinyl siding and soffit material allowed flames to get into attics and on the roofs.

Six months later, a fire destroyed two homes in the Village at Rolesville subdivision in Rolesville.

The houses were so close together that the heat melted siding on other homes nearby. That led the town to consider changes to its building codes.

The 2007 fires were also a factor in the Town of Knightdale to consider siding and mulch questions when it revisited building codes in 2008.