10 displaced in northwest Charlotte fire

A break-in may have preceded an early-morning fire that displaced six adults and four children in northwest Charlotte near Mount Holly-Huntersville Road.

A neighbor called for help around 1:30 a.m. Sunday and reported seeing fire on the first floor of the two-story home on Pointer Ridge Drive.

Two of the 10 residents were inside when the fire broke out. The Cook’s Community Volunteer Fire Department responded and reported that no one was injured, said Ted Panagiotopoulos, Mecklenburg County fire marshal.

The fire was contained to a first-floor bedroom, but the house sustained heavy water damage. Smoke detectors were in place.

The Mecklenburg County Fire Marshal’s office and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department will conduct more interviews to determine what caused the fire.

A preliminary investigation raised suspicions that a break-in might have occurred, Panagiotopoulos said. Details about what pointed investigators toward a possible break-in were not disclosed.

It appeared that the residents of the home might have been renting it, as the property owner did not live there. Some of the residents of the home were related, Panagiotopoulos said.

The children range in age from infancy to about 3 years. The American Red Cross’ volunteer disaster action team was helping with relocations.

This story was originally published November 22, 2015 at 2:04 PM with the headline "10 displaced in northwest Charlotte fire."