Elderly couple displaced after house fire in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — An elderly couple has been displaced from their home following a fire Thursday morning on Madison Street in Wilmington.

Officials responded to reports of a house fire off Burnett Blvd. Thursday morning.

According to New Hanover County Dispatch, the call came in around 7:20 a.m. Wilmington Fire Department responded to 18 Madison Street.

The fire department sent out a tweet just after 8:30 a.m. that the fire was extinguished and the cause was improperly discarded smoking materials. Officials said smoke detectors alerted the people inside and they were able to evacuate safely.