Fire destroys Wilmington home

Firefighters say improperly discarded smoking material led to a fire that destroyed a Wilmington home this morning. Investigators say the fire started near a work bench in the garage of the house on Guy Court off Airlie Road a little after 1 a.m.

The family was already out of the home by the time firefighters arrived. A dog barking in a kennel woke them up. The dog and probably the family’s cat died in the fire. No one else was hurt.

The Red Cross is helping the family find a place to stay tonight.