Selma family of 9 forced out of home after smoldering fireworks leads to fire

Johnston County fire officials say they responded to five house fires last night caused by people unsafely throwing out used fireworks.

Four of them were in Johnston County with another in Harnett County. Firefighters said families need to know how to protect their homes after the Fourth of July holiday.

Fire officials in Selma said they’ve never seen so many home fires caused this way after the holiday. The fires show a need for better education on how to celebrate safely.

Investigators say a home on Myrtle Drive is just one of the homes that caught fire overnight due to improperly trashed fireworks.

The damage led to a collapsed roof, charred walls and insulation ripped out.

Johnston County fire crews responded to five homes that were burned this way from people celebrating Independence Day. Some called it the most fires they've ever responded to after a holiday.

"We’ve only ever had it happen a few times here, but statewide we hear about it a lot," Selma Fire Chief Phillip McDaniel said.

No injuries were reported from the fires, but families were dealing with significant impacts:

A family of nine was displaced from their home from the fire in Selma after half of it burned from smoldering fireworks.

"It’s easy to do," McDaniel said. "It’s just people don’t think about the proper way to dispose of their used material."

Fire officials said after setting off fireworks, families should at minimum have a water source like a hose to put them out and they shouldn't dump them in a trash can right away.

"You really need to wet it and put it in a bucket after you’re through with the fireworks you use here in North Carolina," said McDaniel. "That would solve the problem."

Experts agree the best way to celebrate is to go to professional fireworks shows, but if you're celebrating at home, be as careful as possible to avoid disaster.

"We need to make sure that we’re getting that education out, especially before the fourth but all year long," McDaniel said.

The Johnston County fire marshal said his investigators found the fireworks that caused the damage at the scene.