Investigators have said the fire is suspicious.
GASTONIA, N.C. -- Investigators are looking into the cause of a house fire that killed a 31-year-old mother of two early Wednesday morning in Gaston County. Fire officials said the blaze appears to be suspicious.
It started around 3 a.m. on Hidden Meadow Court near the Cramer Mountain Country Club and claimed the life of Lucy Johnson. Her two children—a 7-year-old girl and an infant boy—were spending the night with relatives.
The fire took 45 minutes to put out, and investigators with the Gaston County Police Department, the FBI, and the State Bureau of Investigation spent the morning sifting through the home’s remains.
Investigators are looking into the cause of a house fire that killed a 31-year-old mother of two early Wednesday morning in Gaston County.
"[There are] always lots of obstacles into any investigation,” said Gaston County police Capt. Calvin Shaw. “You never know where the evidence is going to take you but the biggest thing is working the arson case, the evidence will be there it's just a little bit harder to get to."
Neighbors said the fire moved so fast it nearly destroyed the two-story home in minutes. That set off a frantic search for Johnson and her two children. Firefighters eventually recovered Johnson’s body but the whereabouts of her two children remained unknown for hours.
"I hope the kids weren't in there. Right now, I know they found the body of [Johnson], but I'm praying the kids weren't there,” neighbor David Patton said at the time.
But as family members were informed of the fire and Johnson’s death, police finally found the missing piece of information they had been looking for.
"The children have been accounted for. They are not in the residence. We know where the children are,” Shaw said.
That was a relief for family members who gathered at the scene – Johnson’s children had not stayed with her that night and were not in danger.
Investigators have still said the fire is suspicious.
“We have people of interest in the case that we’re looking at right now,” Shaw explained.
He wouldn't give any names, but would only say that those people are close to the victim. The investigation could take a few days to complete.