A father and son died in a fire at a home along Red Oak Drive in Johnston County on Christmas morning.
A neighbor told WRAL News that the fire spread quickly.
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"When I came out, it was just one corner of the house and then (the fire) immediately went to the entire house within 10 minutes," that man said. "All we could do was pray. At that point, it was in God's hands."
A woman made it out of the home, but the structure appeared to have significant damage.
"When I saw her she was covered in soot," said the neighbor. "She lost her husband and she lost her stepson."
Wilson's Mills Fire Chief Jason Moore told WRAL News the cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
Moore did not release the names of the father or son. Property records show the owner of the property is John Collier Jones.
Neighbors told WRAL News that the father and son, 74 and 53 years old respectively, had disabilities that may have contributed to their inability to get out.
Firefighters found the first victim 10 feet inside the home, Moore said. After the fire was brought under control, they were able to get further inside and found the second person.
The neighbor said, "They're very kind folks. They help us out a lot. We help them, they help us. ... Count your blessings today because tomorrow is not promised."
Moore offered this advice to prevent similar fire tragedies:
"Keep a clear exit to your home for all your egress points. Make sure you only use U-L listed extension cords. Make sure your smoke detectors' batteries are checked twice a year." Wilson's Mills Fire Chief Jason Moore
Moore praised the firefighters, many of them volunteers, who came out on a holiday to fight the fire.
"When you talk about ... the volunteers and the career staff being away from their families and having to endure the severity of the scenes that they see, sometimes it makes a little bit more impact on their eyes, if you will," he said.
The fire on Red Oak Drive was the second in 24 hours and one of three in Johnston County to mar the holiday.
On Christmas Eve, two people got out safely but a home near Benson was a total loss after a fire.
And on Christmas morning, a Clayton family says that heat from a fire in their garage melted a water pipe, and the water kept that fire from spreading further.