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On New Year’s Day, an Oakboro resident passed away as the result of a fire at a residence on Hazard Road in the Oakboro area.

According to Stanly County Fire Marshal Danny Barham, a 63-year old woman perished in the fire which happened around 6:15 a.m. Sunday. Her name has not been released to the public yet.

Barham said her adult son was trying to fight the fire with a garden hose when she went back in to save the lives of her pets. Three animals and eight puppies died in the fire.

The fire marshal said the residence apparently did not have working smoke alarms. He further wished to remind the public about checking the batteries in their smoke detectors. Any residents needing smoke alarms can contact the fire marshal’s office for further information.

Oakboro, Endy and Ridgecrest fire departments responded to the fire which Barham said was “fairly standard.” The blaze took about 45 minutes to extinguish.